Just Beyond My Reach, My Assassin
by Mismatch-lover
Summary: What would you do if you were in the game? With her mind wiped clean, Narina soon finds out that it isn't just a game. With the help of the Renaissance Assassin,she uncovers the secrets that have been kept hidden for ages. Ezio/OC
1. The Transfer of Wishes

**Here's my attempt at my first Assassin's Creed fanfiction.  
Chapter Zero-The learning chapter, as I like to think of it.  
My friends and I really do joke of the 'sexy' moments of this game. It's the one thing that we all know in my group. *sniff***

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_**.:. IMPORTANT NOTE.:.:.  
**_**I PROMISE all of you that this story is not one of those 'fangirl magically finds herself in the X-box or PS3' stories. I PROMISE that it has a twist to the plot, and that it is just a different story. So if I could ask this of you, please give it a chance. I have spent a long time sorting this story out and figuring out a plot that I could use.**

**Thank you.**

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**Chapter 0:The Transfer of Wishes**

We all had a party at Tad's house for his 18th birthday. He drove us around Afton for hours, listening to music so loud that we could scream along and no one would know. It was Devin, Libby, Wyatt and me celebrating Tad's birthday with him. He had to beg Wyatt to come with us, since Tad _was_ the only boy in our 'group'. Wyatt wasn't exactly close friends to us girls, but we _were _acquainted with him due to our time in orchestra together; the trips just brought people together more than one was comfortable with.

We ate at the Red Baron restaurant, had an ice-cream fight in the car, went and cleaned his _mom's _car, went to Canyon View park and took pictures to remember for years to come. We managed to get to Alpine in our shenanigans and we burst into Tad's house, his mother, Tami, greeting us with hugs and smiles.

We played around the house like we were 8 years old again, playing tag and hide-n-seek. When it got dark, we went ding-dong-ditching, although I was surprised we didn't get busted because of our giggling from the shadows. Before we got the cops called on us, we returned to the house and played some hard-core Guitar Hero. We watched Tad blow out the candles and open our presents. Tami took some pictures of us for her scrapbook, and we proceeded to all squeeze into Tad's room.

In a silence, we sat on his bed staring at his walls.

"Six years, you guys," Libby said with a grin. "We've all been friends for six years."

"I'm the exception," Wyatt say with an awkward grin. "I've only been friends with you guys for four years."

"Pfft," I scoffed. "Two years off –you didn't miss much!" We laughed, and then Tad gave us all a group hug.

"I'm just glad that we can get through everything and still be as close as we are!" We all laughed and agreed.

After our hug, Tad turned on the PS3 and asked me to grab his Motor-cross game from his game-shelf.

As I reached for the game, I noticed a title that I recognized immediately, and I grinned. "Wouldn't we rather..."I pulled it out and held it out towards Tad. "Play 'Assassin's Creed II'!"

Libby piqued in. "You _do_ get laid in that game!" It was the only thing Libby and Devin knew about that game-you get laid in it. I grinned at her input for we joked about it most of the time.

"C'mon! Get laid, dude!" Wyatt was grinning like a small boy.

"Nah, dude." Tad gestured toward the games again, beckoning me to get his game. "It would be great if I was really in the game and could _actually_ get laid."

"Way to be a horn-dog, Tad," Devin remarked, and she made her way to sit down on his bed.

I stared at the cover with Ezio Auditore in a broad stance, the sly grin on his face darkened by the shadow of his hood. "It would be amazing if you could be in this game. Just to screw everything up, you know."

"And get laid," Wyatt added in.

I threw him a sneer, but then chuckled. "Yeah, we'd be whores."

"Mega whores." Tad and Wyatt snickered and gave each other a high-five.

Libby stood from the bed. "I'd be a good whore!" She gestured to her oddly-proportioned breast for her size. "I'd get everybody laid!"

"You're hired!' Devin exclaimed loudly.

All hyped up, Libby flung herself back on Tad's bed and spread her legs apart, making a loud moaning noise. We all stood around her and laughed loudly. After a few moments, I made my way back to the game-shelf to put the game back. When I placed it back in the empty place I had pulled it from, a sudden shock of nostalgia washed over me.

And then everything went blurry.

I tried to blink away the fogginess, but then my ears started ringing.

Then I got light-headed and my balance went all to hell. I fell backwards, my friends laughs fading into a light buzz, all the while my sight pitching into an abyss of darkness.  
I didn't even feel myself hit the ground –I kept falling and falling. Instead of silence now, there were voices. I couldn't depict the differences in them since there were so many talking at the same time. Some of them were even in a language that I couldn't understand, although quite familiar, like I had heard the words before. There was the feeling of understanding suddenly, like I had unlocked a knowledge inside myself that I had kept hidden for so long.

The words became recognizable.

_Concentration of one desire can effect not only the dreamer, but all who wish for their happiness as well._

There was a long pause, and I whispered "What...the hell is going on?"

_Nothing is true_, the voices echoed. _Everything is permitted._

_The...Creed..._It seemed like forever until I let my mind go and I fell into unconsciousness.

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When I opened my eyes, I was alone. Laying face down on a gravely surface, I forced myself to sit up and look around warily. I was in a dark room, the only light streaming from a window well above my head, a broken plank sandwiched between the window's borders. A small light breasted bird pranced daintily in the light, flitting shadows across the far wall. Noises dimly fell through the window. It sounded like people talking, but the words were hard to understand.

I rubbed my head, closing my eyes against the pain to my sudden headache. _Where am I?_

I finally looked up from my hand and glanced about in a panicked haze.

"Devin?" I whispered, then again louder. "Devin! Libby! Wyatt! Tad!" My screams were thrown against the wall and spun back at me. "Where are you guys!"

By this time, I found myself standing and pacing about the room, searching for a door. There was one underneath the window. I hesitated when resting my hand upon the handle. Then a course of fear bolted from my legs to my shoulders, making me shudder.

I tugged on the door as hard as I could, releasing my fear through the pull. The shelter over my head was older than I had expected, because my yank pulled the door right off its hinges. I yelped and moved out of the way before the door crushed me. It landed with a loud thud. Dust erupted from the landing and motes flitted through the air in sparkles from the light pouring through the door frame.

The outside! I peeked my head through the door, letting the warm air blow in my face.

Buildings-I had never seen so many tall building mashed together in my life! Of course, I had always lived in a rural area my, but his was incomprehensible to me. In front of me rose a beautifully mastered building, and beyond that, a benevolent looking town breached out, forming an ancient yet beautiful looking town that could have only been found in the airbrushed pages of a magazine. It wasn't exactly as grand as New York looked to be, but it was still a large city.

Many people were walking by and a few had stopped to stare at me and my destruction of the door that now lay on the floor within the house. Most of them were dressed in colorful clothing, puffy and flowing. Ignoring their questioning looks, I looked down at myself for the first time since I had woken up. With surprise, I realized that I was wearing a bright red dress, extending down to my ankles with frills and laces trimming the square-cut bodice around my breasts. A white layered frill opened up at my waist and cascaded down my skirts.

_Large, old time city...fancy clothes...It can't be..._I was afraid to think the words, and before I could come up with them, a bunch of boys ran past me. One of them, the leader it seemed, was yelling, "_Uccidete l' Auditore_!"

_Audi...tore._ I felt myself tense as I recognized the name half-way through thinking it. It couldn't be that I was...

I remained frozen for a moment, then before the men broke from my line of sight, I lifted my skirts and took off after them. I didn't know what I was doing or why I had decided to start running so fast after them. I convinced myself that it was to see if this was true, to see if what I was assuming wasn't just a false thought.

"_Vogliamo il vostro sangue!_!" They kept screaming aloud, making the crowds part for them in their wake. The cobblestone path made their footsteps echo loudly against the houses, which towered over me with dizzying heights.

_God, I probably should have paid more attention in my foreign languages class! _I thought to myself, wishing that I knew what they were saying. Then again, our school didn't teach Italian, and that was the language to know _if_ my speculations were correct.

If...if they were correct, I...

_"Ecco li la, i bastardi!"_ The group had stopped and spread about in a large semi circle. I wasn't the only person following them, although I noticed I was the only _female_ following the group. I supposed it wasn't lady-like to be chasing after a group of ruffians.

_"Cosa succede?"_ One man beside me asked another man.

_"Un'altra lotta?"_

_"Tutti idioti! Spero che siano puniti dalle guardie!"_ It was all so weird to me, and I felt the inevitable feeling of being out of place between these men –one for being a woman, and two for not even knowing what the hell they were saying.

A voice rang out above the mummers and questions. "_Ehi, ehi! Cosa sono tutte queste parole forti sull' odio_?" It was a familiar voice, like I had heard it long ago and my mind couldn't grasp the face from the lips the words belonged to.

The parading ruffians screamed something back, and after a minute of exchanging words, one of the boys threw a rock into the air. Then, all hell broke loose. The group broke, and punches began to be thrown. More men pushed through the crowds surrounding the brawl and I was pushed back until the fight was lost to my sight.

In a horrible attempt at the foreign language, I spewed out "scusi, scusi" as I elbowed my way through the crowd. I was sure I was using the word in the wrong way, but at this moment, I didn't really care. I had to see this fight! I was never one to watch violence or to find enjoyment in it, but I absolutely had to see the face of the man that had retorted against the group.

When I got to the front of the crowd, the fight was ending. My eyes locked on the figure standing over the knocked out men. He was lean yet muscular. His clothes spoke of wealth and wanton ways. His hair was dark and his face as sturdy. His lip was cut deeply, pouring blood down his chin, and yet he was handsome.

He was Ezio Auditore, and at the recognition, my suspicions were confirmed.

I was, miraculously, somehow in the game _Assassin's Creed II_, and in front of me stood the Auditore brothers finishing off the first fight you have within the Animus 2.0. I didn't know how or why, but I knew that it was true. It was the only explanation...right?

At that moment, Ezio's eyes looked up from the man and locked onto me. Of course, his eyes raked my body before they landed on my face, I noticed with annoyance, but when his eyes met mine, my body froze. Within a second, my mind blanked and my body shuddered under the pressure of the emptiness.

As I collapsed, I heard the first words that I could understand in a voice that was all too familiar.

"It begins"

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**Sorry for the 'learning boringness'. It has to get out sometime.**

**:3 Review!**

**(Thanks to Kittenbell for beta-ing for me. :3 She's such a good person. :D)**

**A BIG BIG Thanks to my Italian Translator, Betty Battaglia! Thank you soooo much!**


	2. The Auditore Brothers

**Ah! Chapter one of my spur of the moment chapter! I've been obsessing over Assassin's Creed 2 this week, and it makes me very, very happy to watch Ezio be a man whore. :3 Good times, good times.**

**Thanks for reviewing!:  
kyskhet  
SafetyPinStitches (the list of swear words absolutely made my day! Thanks!)  
pinkrollingstone**

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**Chapter One: The Auditore Brothers**

My breath caught in my throat when I awoke abruptly. Before I could glance around to try and figure out where I was, my body was thrown over a hard object and folded at my waist. Realizing that I was being treated as luggage, I tried to twist around violently to see who was holding me over their shoulder.

"Stop squirming, _occhi d'acqua_."

_Water eyes? Did this man just call me water eyes?_

"Put me down,_sei cosi brutale!" _I yelled back at him, and then gasped in shock when I realized that I was speaking Italian._ But...why _wouldn't_ I know Italian?_

"Just a little further, please hang on."

I felt like I should know who's voice this was, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Moreover, I felt like I should have known what was going on.

In actuality, I didn't know a thing. For god's sake, I didn't even know my _own_ _name!_ Who was I? What was I doing over this man's shoulder? Did he mean something to me? Should I ask him what the hell was going on?

I kept my questions to myself when I realized that the man carrying me was dragging himself up the wall of a nearby building.

"_Idiota!_" I screamed. "What are you trying to do, kill me?"

"Just hang on!" The man said back, a grin in his voice.

He didn't have to tell me twice! I shamelessly wrapped my arms around the his waist in an odd, upside down position. When the man stopped climbing, I almost let out a sigh of relief, but then I started to bounce awkwardly off his as he started to run.

"You know, this isn't exactly ideal!" I yelled at him, trying to lift my head to look at him.

"It's better than having a blade pushed through your throat!"

Good point. But then again, _why_ was I being chased? Was I even the one who was threatened by this blade? Why couldn't I remember?

I was preoccupied in trying to find the images that went in the massive hole in my mind. What was my name? What did I look like? Where was I exactly? And moreover, who was this man gripping me over his shoulder like a piece of luggage?

I snapped out of my thoughts when I realized that I had stopped ricocheting off the back of the man. He pulled me back over his shoulder with strong arms and sat me on my feet. I looked up into his face.

A man in his mid-twenties, he had a sturdy face, yet soft in every way, showing his kindness physically. His eyes were the color of chocolate and a large smile was spread upon his face, accentuating his high cheek bones. He looked to have been sporting a beard for a week or so, a little too long to be called stubble. His hair was cropped short and he wore quite fancy clothing.

But did this face exist in the black hole that was once my memory? Did I recognize this man? No recognitions came back to me, and I finally whispered "_Grazie."_

_"Di niente,"_ he replied with a charming grin. He patted dust off my shoulder and rubbed his nose with his forefinger and thumb. "What's your name, _bellezza_."

I turned from him, suddenly embarrassed. "Actually, I was hoping you could tell me that."

He chuckled under his breath, taking my response as an invitation to flirt. "You've forgotten you own name?"

His tone was full of teases, and I felt a wave of annoyance at the man. Then confusion came over me again and I desperately searched my mind for any at all. To my utter disappointment, I couldn't even come up with a good fake-name. But that was beside the point! What had happened to me that I'd lose even the knowledge about my own name?

"No..."I whispered under my breath, trying so hard to reach into the darkness in my mind." I don't remember..._Non ricordo niente._"

"Nothing?" The man looked concerned now, gazing at me with concern in his eyes. "Are you playing games with me?"

"No, I swear!" I looked up at him quickly, prepared to defend myself in my lack-of-knowledge. "I don't know where we are, or why I'm here, or where I came from." I paused, shifting my gaze away from his. "I don't even know who _I _am..."

He stroked his chin thoughtfully, giving me a small pout. "You know, I think I've heard something about people with memory loss-when they hit their head really hard; they forget their past."

"Do you think it's true?"

"Can't say for sure. _Comunque,_ we'll just call you Narina."

I threw him a look, suddenly glad that I miraculously knew Italian. "_Water?_ You're calling me _water_?"

He laughed. "You might have forgotten, but you have blue eyes –the color of water."

I hesitated, but lifted my fingers to my eyes. "Really?"

"_Scusate _for the interruption, but I think we should really go find a doctor," came a rough voice from behind me.

The man in front of me looked over my shoulder. "Right, your lip. I had almost forgotten."

I followed the man's gaze over my shoulder, turning around with the turn of my head.

The man that stood behind me looked quite similar to the man that had been carrying me, only younger by a few years and with dark brown hair, almost black, and longer than the other man's, pulled back in a low ponytail. His face wasn't soft either –it was sharp and full of mischievousness. His eyes were dark and his smile _would _have been charming, but at that moment, he was frowning and a large cut slit through his upper-right lip, blood pooling in the crease between his lips. As soon as I looked at his, he licked the blood away from his lips, making me shudder in disgust. He was lean, yet sturdy, just a bit shorter than the other man.

"I take it you two are _fratelli_?" I whispered.

"_Si_, the Auditore brothers, M'lady!" The one who appear the older threw his arm around the younger one. "We're quite infamous, y'know!"

I grinned at the sight of them together, being able to see how well the two got together just by their stances with each other. "I can almost tell that you're both heart-breakers from those grins of yours!"

"That's all Ezio, Narina. I've no desire for women's cots as..._frequent_ anymore."

"Ezio..." The name he said was the first thing that had sounded familiar since the moment I had woken up from the dark abyss. I glanced at the younger Auditore, the one named Ezio.

"This' his name," the kinder brother said, poking his finger into the man's chest. "My name is Federico."

I gave an awkward curtsy, tearing my gaze from Ezio's face. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"The pleasure is all ours, right Ezio?"

"Yes," Ezio said in haste. "But may we please continue to the doctor now?"

"Why am I running with you two in the first place?" I asked, once again miffed at the whole situation.

"Let's just say that the Auditores have a soft spot for a pretty women in distress."

I threw him a look of doubt. "You should help others whether they're pretty or not."

Federico laughed outright, and then stopping, he said, "Here, let us walk and talk –for Ezio's sake. _Andiamo_." Before I could consider my options, Federico pulled me to his side and tucked me under his arm. He pulled me to the edge of the roof that we were perched on, and, to my surprise, he jumped! Although feeling like I was going to die in the split two seconds of free-falling, I kept my voice in my mouth. We landed on the ground with a thud, Federico absorbing all the shock from the land as he took all of my weight on him. I felt kind of bad.

Federico put me aside although still cupping his hand around my elbow. He grinned down at me. "_Ma che? Ti ho spaventata?"_

I pouted at him. "Not funny," I mumbled. "I felt as though I was going to die –it's not something to be laughed and teased at."

He only smiled at me and as soon as Ezio landed next to us, they led me down an unfamiliar road. Many people were walking by and noisy merchants and heralds could be heard all about town.

"Do you remember here, _Firenze_?" Ezio asked suddenly, walking on my other side, holding his hand to his lip to stop the bleeding.

I looked up at him. "No. But it's a beautiful town."

"You have no memories of your home or family then?"

I hadn't thought about home and family. What was my family doing at home without me? Who was my family? Did I even _have_ a family anymore?

"Not at all." I paused. "It's kind of sad. I don't know if I even have a family."

Ezio threw me a half-smile. "Well, of course you do. Everyone does."

"But I don't know if they're alive or not. I have a feeling that...I can't touch them anymore."

The beautiful, bloody smile disappeared. "_Mi dispiace_ you can't remember." I looked up at him, watching the way his light brown eyes warmed in a way. But I didn't want them to warm for the sake of pity on me –I wanted them to warm because he was happy. So I smiled widely at him.

"_Sto bene, _Ezio. I'm sure that this is all for the best, so please don't worry about it."

"_Ah, ecco il dottore._" Federico announced and I was violently pulled out of the warm bubble of Ezio's body heat. I instinctive flinched away from him when I felt the urge to reach out and touch his prickled face. It was odd, but it felt like an honor and a dream-come-true to be next to the younger Auditore.

Although I had no idea why, I was really happy to be able to stand next to him.

"My brother, he has gotten into trouble," Federico replied when the doctor asked what we had come to him for. The doctors' appearance made me giggle. He was dressed in black robes, a hat perched on his head, and large birds mask covering his face.

"Hmm...It looks pretty deep. Here" The doctor proceeded to dab a liquid on Ezio's lips as Ezio flinched backwards. "Give it time to heal now. And be careful from now on."

"_Non faccio promesse,"_ Ezio replied with a grin.

"Thank you, _signore_." Federico handed the beak-faced doctor a pouch of clinking money and then turned back towards Ezio and I, beckoning that we should go.

As we were walking away, Ezio glanced at me, and then quickly turned back to the doctor.

"_Signore_, this lady claims she doesn't remember her past." I looked at him in shock. "Is there something we can do to cure memory loss?"

Staying silent, the doctor was transfixed on me now, staring at me through his mask. "Memory loss, huh? _Si, Si, _I have heard of it, but I'm afraid there is nothing we can give her to bring her memory back."

"I see." Ezio turned away, and I noticed he purposely made the florins in his pockets clink together noisily.

"Ah, but wait!" the doctor started. "You can take her around places to see if it jogs her memory."

Ezio gave him a long look. "_Bene. Grazie._" He handed the doctor a few gold coins.

"Sightseeing, huh?" Federico whispered, rubbing his chin. "Sounds fun." he glanced up at the rooftops of the buildings and grinned suddenly. "Okay, Narina, I have an idea." He pointed to the roofs. "We'll take you to a spot where you can see all of _Firenze_." Federico nodded to Ezio. "How about we make it a race?"

"Now, that's not very fair for our young lady here," Ezio replied, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I managed to throw him a sharp look in my embarrassment.

Federico thought for a moment. "The only way is for one of us to carry her."

"I'll do it." Before I could protest, I was once again thrown over a hard shoulder, this time over the younger yet still as strong build of the younger Auditore.

I slapped at his back, lifting my head to look up. "Can't you carry me like a civil person?"

In my position, I barely saw the grin he flashed at me. "I'm afraid that I need my hands to climb, Narina."

Sighing, I let myself limply hang over his shoulder, defeated. Taking that as my surrender, both of them started to walk down the streets. Although I probably could have been walking on my own right then, I didn't say anything. Ezio probably liked the way his hand was curving around my bottom anyway. I wasn't sure if it was there to hold me or to simply test out my curves. Trying not to let it bother me, I closed my eyes, ignoring the feeling of the blood rushing to my head.

We suddenly stopped. "On your mark..."

I immediately wrapped my arms around Ezio's torso. "Get set..."

Squeezing even more tightly onto Ezio, I prepared for the storm. "_Andiamo!_"

With my eyes shut, I could only feel Ezio's body under me moving quickly, tensing tightly, and pulling violently. I pulled myself close to him so I wouldn't bounce off his back. _And_ his warmth was comforting as well. As I buried my face into his clothes, I realized that he smelt fresh and clean, like a newly cleaned…. I immediately brought my face out of the clothes. _Please, God, don't tell me he's been in the brothels just before now…._

I somehow managed to get my eyes open, and right at that moment, the muscles in Ezio's body under my touch rebelled and I was given a full view of the _Firenze_ streets about thirty feet above the ground. "_Santa merda…._" I murmured, before clamping my eyes shut against possibly the last sight before my death.

I was brought out of my freak out session when I noticed that Ezio was breathing rather hard. I opened my eyes again and squirmed in his hold, suddenly feeling bad for making him carrying me during this life-threatening task.

"Hold still," he panted.

"Put me down!Mettimi giu_, idiota!"_ I somehow managed to get out of his grip and onto my own two feet.

Ezio's expression was filled with annoyance like he couldn't believe he was stuck here arguing with a woman while simultaneously losing a race to his brother. "What is it that I have done to make you upset, _cara signorina_?" The sarcasm was heavy in his voice.

"I can walk myself—I don't want to kill you by being a burden on your shoulder." I held up my hand before he could answer. "Let me try this, please. It looks like fun." I grinned at him smugly. "Unless, of course, you _insist_ on carrying me."

He simply stared at me for a moment. "Fun…" he scoffed, rolling his eyes, but walked past me, holding out his arm for me to take. I placed my hand on his elbow and walked beside him.

We approached the edge of the roof and while I was wondering what was going to happen next, he dropped my arm. "Here, let me…." He grunted as his jumped to the lower roof, a good 6 foot drop.

"Hey," I retorted, looking down at him

He turned and looked up at me. Grinning at my troubled expression, he held up his arms towards me. "_Veni su_, jump. We're going to lose if you don't hurry."

"Thanks for the warning." I sat on the edge of the roof, taking my chances, and jumped down. He caught me and held me to his chest for a moment. I quickly pushed away from him. "I think we're going to lose anyways though."

Ezio glanced over the houses, a faraway look on his face. "Yeah, you're probably right."

The sun was now setting over this town of _Firenze _as it created a pastel palette of colors in the sky, the buildings reflecting the bright reds and oranges on their surfaces. Ezio's face had the same effect, bronzed by the warm colors of the sunset, his eyes golden in the light. His dark hair shined softly and the fresh scar on his lips stood out even more.

I stared at him in awe, having the sudden urge to squeal and throw myself upon him, but the urge disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

As we started walking among the rooftops again. I managed to look up into his brown eyes.

"You know, you didn't have to do that."

"Do what?"

I looked away from his probing gaze when he turned to look at me. "Ask the doctor that for me—I told you it isn't something to worry about." I spotted Federico on a high roof, seemingly waiting for us.

"Well, it's better to remember than to be totally clueless." He rubbed the back of his head. "Besides, like what Federico said before, I have a sensitive spot for ladies in distress."

I folded my arms, throwing him a glare. "are you saying that I can't care of myself?"

Ezio laughed, deep and throaty. "Perhaps. You _do_ have that helpless look in your eyes."

I playfully shoved at him, making him lose his balance and stumbled two steps down the roof. "_Ehi, ehi!"_ He caught his balance again, and the moment he did, he came right back after me. I screamed playfully, lifting my skirts into my fists and running across the roof. He caught up to me easily, grinning at the way I was giggling and screaming. Instead of pushing me as I had, he picked me up into his arms and swung me around once before throwing me over his shoulder.

"_Presa_," he whispered to me.

I started pounding on his back in a playful way while he carried me up the side of the building. When we were on the roof, Ezio sat me down next to Federico and at the same time, they each wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Narina, this is _Firenze Italia_!" Federico made a sweeping motion with his hand, gesturing to the entire city that lay before us.

It was beautiful—I couldn't deny it. All the buildings pieced so perfectly together, blending with the warm hues of the setting sun casting dark shadows among each other, creating a surreal look.

And somewhere in the back of my mind, something clicked, and I knew that I had seen this before.

"It's…familiar," I whispered. "But I can't place my finger on where I recognize it from…."

"It's a start, at least." Federico let go of me and sat down on the roof, staring at all the colors. After a bit, we had all sat down and stayed silent for a good while.

When the last rays of sun disappeared, Federico sighed. "We best go home now—it gives us time to explain this woman that we're bringing home. You know how father is."

"I'm going home with you?" I was almost shocked.

"Well, you don't have another place, right?"

I paused. "No, but I…."

"Then go home with Federico now. I'm sure our family will welcome you with open arms," Ezio said while he helped me stand up.

"You're not coming?" Federico asked.

"No, I'm going to see Cristina."

_Cristina?_

"Ah, Ezio. What are you ever going to do when you lose that pretty face of yours and the ladies sway away from you?" Federico sighed, smiling and shaking his head.

"My face _isn't_ the main reason the ladies love me, brother."

I quickly pushed at Ezio. "Then don't make her wait any longer, lover-boy." I smiled at him softly. "See you when I see you."

Ezio bade us goodnight before making his way down into the streets below.

I watched after him in silence.

A warm hand was placed on my shoulder. "Don't mind his whore like manner, Narina."

"Oh, it's not a big deal." I laughed lightly. "It seems like it's his nature."

Federico took a hold of my hand and led me to the other side of the roof. "He's gentlemanly enough, it's just that he does it all for the same reason—for sex."

"Most men his age are just searching for the same thing he is."

Federico hummed in agreement. "You're right, of course. For a girl with no memory, you _are_ insightful."

I grinned at him. "I'll take that as a _complimento_."

"But of course." Federico led me to the ladder that was leaning against the building and helped me arrange myself onto the ladder. "Now, let me take you home. Let us see what my _padre_ has to say about the situation that you're in right now."

I titled my head at him, smiling. "Should I be scared?"

He grinned back. "No. My father will really like you."

* * *

**I used this chapter to show that things aren't going to be exactly the way they are in the game. Sorry for any inconveniences!  
I adore Federico. I know he dies, but he's my best friend (in a way). I realized that time goes by really quickly in AC2, it's almost shocking. At one time, they skipped SIX YEARS! D: I have to say, what the HELL was Ezio doing for six years?**

**Thanks for reading! Review please! It really motivates me!**

**(Thanks for my Beta, Kittenbell! :D)  
(Thanks for my Italian translator, Betty Battaglia)**


	3. House of the Assassinating Banker

**AN:I just want to cry right now. :(My brothers friend who was living with us had the Playstation 3 and X-box 360 and Assassin's Creed 2 with it. Well, he moved out last week, but he left the Ps3 for me to finish AC2, which I did about two days after he left. I came home from school yesterday AND THE PS3 WAS GONE! AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT ASSASSIN'S CREED 2 WITH IT! I was so devastated! I had come to love Ezio, Florence and Venice, and even Leonardo. And now they're...gone. :( **

**Anyways, this chapter I tried to mix a few giggles with a few serious moments. I don't think I succeeded.**

**Thanks for reviewing!  
SafetyPinStitches (good luck on your story! and thanks for the suggestions!)  
pinkrollingstone (thanks for the support!)**

* * *

Chapter 2: The House of the Assassinating Banker

"_Eccoci qua!_" Federico announced, stopping in front of a huge house in the middle of _Firenze._ It was a bit larger than most houses around, the pillars and arches of the front door suggesting that the family came from a rich background

"Wow..." I whispered under my breath pointing towards the house. "That one right there?"

Federico laughed. "_Si_. _Veni._" He offered his arm to me and led me to the door.

"Your family is rich?" I asked as he pushed open the front door.

He grinned. "See for yourself." Pulling me inside, he paused a moment to let me take in the sight. It was everything that you would expect to see in a rich family's home –the polished surfaces of every statue, tabletop and floor tile shining brightly in the dim light of the lit candles throughout the entire room. The grand staircase leading to the upper rooms were covered in rich, red carpet. The paneled walls were edged with dark trimmings with a carved rose design. He led me down a hall and through a mahogany door, into a small, warm room with a few couches. Sitting on those few couches were two women. One was older, apparently the mother of the younger one for they looked quite similar.

"_Madre, sorella,"_ he greeted with a bow. I quickly followed his motion, bowing the best that I could.

"What is this Federico?" The younger woman grinned. "You've brought a woman home?"

"No, it's not-"

"Well, what's her name?" The mother asked with a small smile.

"Narina, but-"

"Ah! Such a pretty name!" The younger girl exclaimed, clasping her hands together.

"Please, please calm down the both of you!" Federico seemed exasperated. "Let me explain the situation..."

It took quite awhile for Federico to explain what had happened and the problems that I was facing between the questions thrown from his sister and mother, whom I later learned were Maria and Claudia.

"What a tragedy," Maria whispered once the tale was finished. "_Non ti ricordi di niente?_"

"No, nothing," I replied, now sitting down on one of the couches. "But I insist that it is no big deal..."

"What if your family is looking for you?" Claudia asked, concerned. "What if they pin the blame on us for kidnapping you?"

I was silent for a moment before I whispered "I'm almost positive that my family isn't looking for me. It's okay."

Federico tilted his head to look at my bowed face. "Why do you think this, Narina?"

I thought about it, sighing. "I just have this feeling that they're not of this world anymore."

Maria reached over and took a hold of my hand. "Your family is dead, then?"

"I...I'm not sure," I admitted.

"_Mi dispiace tanto per te_." Maria conceded, smiling lightly at me.

I gripped back onto her hands. "Like I told Ezio –please don't worry about it. I'll remember sooner or later."

Maria looked away from me, taking her hands back with her, and glanced up at Federico "Where is your _fratello__più__ giovane__?"_

Federico smirked. "Spreading his seed."

"Federico!" Claudia retorted in shock. "Explain in more appropriate words! I wish not to hear it in such a blunt way."

"_E va bene. Calmati,_" Federico conceded, holding his hands up in defense. "He's visiting Cristina for the night."

"Ah, Cristina..." Maria reached for her cup of tea on the side table beside the couch. I had a feeling that she wasn't surprised at Ezio's decision in his fertile grounds. She put the edge to her lips, taking a few sips before setting it down in her lap. "Claudia, would you mind taking Narina to your father? I'm sure she can explain herself."

"But mother–" Federico started to retort.

"Federico, I must speak with you about private matters –please sit."

Claudia stood from the couch and with a nod to Maria and Federico and I followed her out the door.

We were silent most of the way as we walked down a hall towards the front door area.

"Your father," I started, "is he a hard man to impress?"

Claudia glanced back at me as she placed a hand on the door. "It really depends on the topic of conversation. My Father is actually a likeable person."

I swallowed. "_Va bene_."

She laughed. "Don't be nervous." She knocked on the door with her knuckles.

"Come in." Ah. The voice sent shivers up my back. Why was I so scared of this seemingly harmless father? I felt like there was a reason-a BIG reason-to fear this man.

Claudia opened the door, allowing me to walk in beside her. Inside was a small room lit up by several candles. The walls were covered in bookshelves, most of them filled completely. The only other furniture in the room was a large wooden desk, covered in papers and books. Sitting at that desk was a man with a worn face, stern and yet kind at the same time, a lifetime of inner turmoil written on the surface of his eyes. He seemed to be writing in a book when we walked in.

Looking up and seeing us, he sat down his feather pen. "Ah Claudia." He glanced at me. "Who is this young lady?"

Claudia curtsied and I followed. "Federico brought her home."

"Federico?" The man's eyes widened as he stood up and made his way around the desk. "I always thought Ezio would be the first."

I blushed as he approached me. "_Signore_, I assure you, that isn't the reason Federico has brought me here."

The man laughed, and it almost seemed out of character for him. He put a hand on my shoulder. "Of course, of course." Gesturing to the chair as he rose up he beckoned me, "Please sit and tell me your story."

I glanced at him and quickly retreated from his touch, moving towards the chair. "_Grazie_."

"Claudia, I want you to go grab Ezio for me. I-"

"He's not home, Father," she interrupted him.

"Oh? Where is he then?"

"Cristina's." I answered quickly. "Spreading his seed, as Federico put it."

Claudia sighed, while the man turned towards me. "Hmm. I see." He turned back to his daughter. "Then run along and get us some tea."

"_Si_." She left.

"So," the man said, keeping his back towards me. "What is your name, child?"

I hadn't sat down in the chair yet, and I wasn't planning to anytime soon, so I straightened poise. "Federico and Ezio call me Narina, _signore_, but my true name is lost."

"'Lost?'" He asked.

"_Si_. You see, I have-"

I stopped for he held up a hand to silence me. He saw my troubled expression and then smiled at me. "Start from the beginning."

I sighed, taking my seat in the chair.

I tried to be vague in my explanation, but I found myself running off in tangents quite often, asking questions to myself about my lost past. He said nothing while I was telling my story –he just studied me quietly.

Once I was done talking, I stayed silent, watching the man pace around the room, his eyes locked on me.

"You have no recall of anything before this evening?" He asked finally.

I shook my head. "No, I only remember waking up over Federico's shoulder."

"_Capisco_." The man began to pace again.

"I'm sorry for imposing on your family, _Signore_." I bowed my head.

"Please, call me Giovanni."

"Giovanni Auditore?" I glanced at the papers spread out on the table in confusion. "Giovanni...Auditore...?" My hands were suddenly clammy and my eyes unfocused. "You're Giovanni Auditore, banker of Firenze, married to Maria Auditore. Your children are Federico, Ezio, Claudia, and Petruccio, in that exact order." I took a long breath, surprised at the flow of words that spilled from my mouth without my consent. "You are part of the Assassin's Creed, the Brotherhood recreated by Altair in the year of 1191, during the third Crusade. He found and held the piece of Eden, the Apple, and hid it from those who would do wrong with it." The words stopped. My eyes focused and my hands stopped shaking. I felt utterly exposed and fragile. The sound Giovanni's pacing feet stopped. There was a long silence.

"How do you–" Giovanni was cut off by a knock on the door. He turned towards it.

"Your tea!" Claudia came through the door, tray in hand.

"Get out," Giovanni whispered. Claudia froze, staring at her father. "I said get out!" Claudia jumped and ran back out the door.

As soon as the door was closed, he swung back at me, his face creased in confused anger. "Tell me –how in the hell do you know this!"

"I do not know!" I replied truthfully." The words just fell from my mouth –I gave no thought to them!"

"You must have!" Giovanni accused, pointing at me. "And that means you yourself must be part of the Brotherhood."

"I cannot tell you," I said quietly, trying to calm him down.

_"Basta!_" Giovanni slammed his fist on the desk making me jump up from the chair in shock.

"_Signore_, please!" I begged, feeling the fear in my eyes.

"Is it that you're a spy, then!" He advanced towards me, a deadly look flashing in his eyes.

"Giovanni, stop!" I screamed at him, pressing myself against the bookcase behind me, ignoring the sharp pain of the books poking my skin. "I'm here to help you!"

He finally fell silent, and stared at me warily. I thought about the words that I just said –could that be the reason that I was here in Firenze? To help this so-called Creed?

"Do not lie to me, _ragazza_," he threatened in a whisper.

I straightened my shoulders, but I still felt as though I was fragile and small. "I would never lie to you, _Signore_, I promise you. My mind truly is wiped and I remember nothing from my past. But I have a feeling that I'm here to help you and your son."

"Which of my sons?" he asked, sounding as though he wasn't going to buy it.

"Ezio," I said without hesitation. "He's more likely to carry on the Assassin legacy."

Giovanni grinned in a cold way, not looking at all convinced. "Why not Federico? He's the eldest."

I paused as a splotch of pain stabbed me in an unreachable spot in my mind. "Federico.." I started in a whisper, "will not be able to kill anyone."

"Why do you think this?" Again, not very convinced.

My mind rebelled, and the information spilling from the abyss snapped back into a spot I couldn't comprehend. "I don't know..."I whispered. "But it's just a feeling."

Giovanni chuckled, rubbing at his face. "How can I know if I should trust you or not?" I was glad to see that he had calmed down again.

Before I could answer, the door was opened and Maria and Federico stood in the doorway.

"Giovanni," Maria said after taking in our stances across the room from each other. I instinctively tried to relax. "Claudia claimed that you were upset with our guest."

"What's going on?" Federico asked, more wary about the situation than his mother was.

Giovanni turned back towards me. "Nothing –we were just discussing business matters."

Federico was still staring at me in confusion. "'Business matters'? But you have no memory..."

"Federico, I must speak with you," Giovanni interrupted. "Maria, tell Claudia that I'm sorry for yelling at her, and can you please have Anetta show Narina to our guest room?" He looked back at me. "I wish to speak with further tomorrow, _Signorina_ Narina. Please rest well."

"_Si, Signore_ Giovanni. _Grazie._" I curtsied and followed Maria out the door, ignoring Federico's questioning gaze.

"Pardon my husband," Maria claimed as we walked down the halls. "He's very passionate about his work."

I nodded. "It was mostly my fault to begin with. I said something that I shouldn't have."

Maria glanced at me, and I realized that she was extremely beautiful, despite her age. She had soft yet sharp eyes, beautiful curled that was hair pulled back upon her head. She held herself in a way you could tell of her noble ties. She smiled at me, and a strange prick of pity struck me. I wasn't sure why, but I felt bad for her.

"What could an innocent girl like you say that could make my Giovanni snap at his daughter?"

I hesitated in my answer, just long enough to reach the front room area. There was a woman with dark hair, whom I took as the one called Anetta, the maid.

"This must be Narina," the girl greeted, bowing. "You must be tired –please, this way."

"_Bene, grazie_." I turned back to Maria before climbing the stairs. "Our words were of business."

She inclined her head, a knowing look shadowing her face. "I see." With a goodnight, Maria left the room in search of Claudia. I had a suspicion that the Madam Auditore had knowledge of her husband's true occupation, and that maybe she suspected me to be a spy as well. Although I had no proof, I knew I at least wasn't a spy! But they had no reason to believe me, so I had to give them one. However I knew that I'd have to get back on my own two feet before I could start defending myself.

* * *

**I **woke up with Federico hovering over my bed. It took me a moment to wake up fully and realize how close he was. I flinched and sat up quickly.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked, looking out the window. The sun was sitting perfectly on the buildings in the distance. "Isn't it a bit early to be a creeper?"

Federico smiled at me, and I immediately forgave him. I was coming to like his teasing smile. "It's breakfast time," he said. "I thought that I'd come wake you since you didn't rouse yourself."

I groaned and rubbed at my eyes sleepily. "I'm not really a morning person..."

Laughing, Federico managed to pull me out of my bed. He glanced down at me. "Do you want a change of clothes? Claudia has some..."

"_No. Sto bene cosi_," I replied, patting down the wrinkles in my dress. "Although, I don't think I'm fond of dresses to tell you the truth."

"Let's go steal some of Ezio's clothes for you then." He gave me a once over. "It might not work though –you're really short."

I thought about it. Who knew what kind of horrors Ezio's clothes had been through, judging by his raging hormones. But the way this dress curled around my legs made me uncomfortable.

"_Facciamolo,_" I whispered grinning. He nodded back to me and with that, I flung myself out the door, crouching down as if to hide.

"Uh, he's not home, you know," Federico pointed out, walking beside me, throwing me an odd look.

I looked up at him, blowing a strand of hair out of my eyes in annoyance. "Well, when you're _stealing_ something, you ought to be _sneaky_!"

"Wouldn't it be faster if we just walked?"

I pouted. "Well, yeah, but wouldn't it be _more fun_ my way?"

Federico laughed and then dropped beside me, crouching down to the floor. "Whatever you say, _cara mia._" I gave him a sweet smile, and allowed him to lead our sneak down the hall. Every so often, I would throw myself to the other side of the hall and raise a finger to my lips, whispering "shhhh!" to Federico At one point, Anetta passed us, and we simply stayed still in our positions with our eyes shut as though that made us invisible. She laughed at our play and continued on her way.

We finally made it to Ezio's room, me having to hold open the door while Federico dove in. After rolling in after him, we stood warily in the cluttered room. Federico immediately went to the chest at the end of the bed. He opened it and started to dig through

"How about this?" He held up a shirt to me. "Nah. _Troppo grande._"

It took us about three tries to realize that none of Ezio's clothes would fit me. Federico had been right –I was too damn short. A simple top from Ezio was almost a dress for me –well, a very short dress, anyways.

"_Mio Dio, _Narina! How tall are you –two feet?" Federico exclaimed, digging further into the chest.

I looked down at my feet and held my hand up in the air for a reference. I shrugged. "Probably around 5 foot."

"Nothing in here will fit you! Ezio is at _least_ five-eleven!"

"Well, keep looking buddy," I ordered, smiling when he threw me a glare.

"Ah, here we go!" he exclaimed a few minutes later. Federico pulled out a pair of pants. "These are supposed to go to his knees –they'll be perfect for you!" Before I could reply, he held them up to my waist and legs. "Ah, _si, si!_ These will work!" He turned back towards the chest excitedly now, handing me the pants. "A shirt will be easy now –we can always tuck it in if it's too large!"

"Just make sure it's sanitary," I mused. He laughed at that, and pulled out a long-sleeved blouse, about three times too large for me.

"We can tuck in the bottom and roll up the sleeves," Federico explained when he noticed my uneasy look. He added the shirt to the bundle that I had in my arms now.

"What are you two doing?" We froze at the deep voice. Whipping around towards the door, we noticed Ezio was standing there, staring at us in bewilderment.

Federico sighed. "Well, you see, Ezio, we-"

"RUN FOR IT!" I screamed as I leaped for the escape route under Ezio's arms, clutching the clothes to my chest. I couldn't tell if either of them were following me or not –my own footsteps echoing off the polished floors drowned out any other sounds. I made a sharp right at the next hall that broke off and dared a glance back.

I screamed loudly when I saw that Ezio was two steps behind me, a crazed grin on his face. Making another sharp right, I turned down the hall, seeing Claudia at the end, staring at me in shock. She barely moved out of the way in time as I rushed past her, giving my 'good mornings' in a split second.

Before I knew it, Ezio was running next to me easily. I stopped dead in my tracks, making him race past me as I turned on my heel and bolted the way I had just come from.

"Nice trick," he called after me, already on my heels again.

"_Grazie!_" I replied, taking a sharp left down a small hall. Without warning, I crashed into something hard and was violently knocked backwards.

"_Mio dio_, Narina!"

Federico was the hard thing that I had rammed into, and before I could reply, something just as hard and heavy smacked into me and knocked Federico and I to the ground. The heavy object landed on top of me, knocking the breath right out of me.

There was a silence for only a few seconds. When we all realized what had happened, we all burst out laughing. Ezio picked himself off of me and leaned against the wall, laughing. I managed to crawl off of Federico through my tear-bringing giggles and Federico simply stayed sprawled on the floor, flashing his teeth in his smiles.

"That's going to hurt more sooner than later." I looked up to see where the voice was coming from, and saw Giovanni standing at the end of the hall, grinning. It was hard to see him through the tears in my eyes. "That collision was heard all throughout _Firenze!_"

"If you are all done being childish, breakfast is waiting!" Claudia snapped, walking past our sprawled forms in the hall.

Giovanni composed himself. "Right, Claudia, of course." He winked at me when he walked past us.

I took a moment to wipe at my eyes. "Ah, che divertente," I giggled.

"I haven't run around the house like that in a long time," Federico mused, sitting up from the floor.

"Why are you guys stealing my stuff, anyways?" Ezio asked, grinning broadly.

"I shrugged innocently. "Boy clothes are a lot more comfortable –we thought yours would be spiffy enough for me."

Ezio chuckled. "Then I'm honored." He smiled charmingly at me. "Although, I'm sure you're much too small for my possessions."

I gave him a stern look, not being able to tell if he was being perverted or if my mind was the twisted one. With that in thought, I wasn't even sure how to respond.

"Whatever," I mumbled, turning to Federico "Let's go to breakfast –I'll change later."

We all helped each other stand up on our own feet, then, with a few playful shoves and giggles, I let them lead me down the stairs. We were the last to enter the dining area.

"Good morning, you three," Maria greeted from her spot next to Giovanni at the table.

"_Buon giorno,_" we all replied, and I took a seat next to Federico who sat next to Claudia. Across the table, Ezio sat next to his mother, who gave him a greeting kiss. Next to Ezio was a small boy with a childish round face perched upon dipping shoulders –another Auditore brother, I guessed, from those dark piercing eyes and dark hair.

"Narina," Giovanni started when he saw me studying the young boy. "This is my youngest son, Petruccio." I realized that it was the last name that I had spoken of last night when I was naming off Giovanni's family.

"It's a pleasure, Petruccio." I smiled at him warmly. His face flushed and he gave a stiff nod. It seemed that he wasn't as outgoing as his older brothers.

A moment later, the food was served, and while we ate, the Auditores all talked loudly amongst each other –all except for Petruccio and me. It didn't seem like my place to have an input, but it didn't stop me from listening in on them all.

"Glad you made it back, Ezio," Giovanni said to his charming son. "I heard you caused quite a ruckus over there." His face drew dark and grim. "Weren't the guards involved as well?"

"Father..."Ezio drifted off, trying to find an excuse.

Giovanni grinned suddenly. "It reminds me of the days when I was young! Right, Maria?"

They all started on a story of Giovanni's younger days. I was silently enjoying it, but then something poked at my hand. I looked across the table to the youngest Auditore who was staring at me intently. He used his finger to motion me to come closer to him. I leaned across the table.

"What is it?" I whispered.

He leaned forward as well, watching his family closely. He then raised his hand to the side of his mouth. "Can you help keep Ezio out of trouble?"

I tilted my head in confusion, but still nodded. "Yes, of course Petruccio."

The boy smiled at me, proving that he could be just as charming as his older brothers. "Thank you. He acts like a kid sometimes and I can't help but worry about him."

"You seem even more mature than him," I commented.

The boy grinned. "That's because I am!"

I laughed outright, and by the time I was done, all the family was staring at me.

"What's so funny, Narina?" Federico asked, eying his youngest sibling who had turned his gaze back to his plate of food.

I fanned myself with my hand, giggling lightly. "Nothing, nothing. I just remembered something funny."

Federico was turned fully to me. "About your past?" He asked breathlessly.

"Oh." I shook my head. "You've misunderstood me—a memory from yesterday is all."

"Ah." Federico looked down to his plate again.

"What's funny about yesterday?" Ezio asked. "Care to share?" He threw me the most insincere smile that I had ever seen, which meant he knew that I was laughing about him.

I smirked, and glanced at Petruccio who was smiling and picking at his food. I looked back at Ezio. "Well, I don't think I repeat it at breakfast—perhaps later, Ezio?" I smiled widely at Ezio, whose smile was gone now. He grunted and went back to his food.

Breakfast ended and all the Auditores split in their own directions—Giovanni went off to work, Maria needed to talk to Ezio and took him to the other room, Claudia went back upstairs, Petruccio wondered out of the room, and Federico stayed with me.

"The bathing room is around the corner," he remarked, pointing down the hall. "You can change in there."

"_Grazie_," I said, and made my way to the door he had pointed to. When the door was closed behind me, I striped from the dress, letting it land in a lump around me. I noticed, as I was looking down at my toes, that I had very pale skin. When I touched the snowy white surface, it was soft and smooth. Recalling where I was suddenly, I stopped examining myself and pulled on the shirt over my head. It was indeed large enough to pass as a skimpy dress, stopping at my mid-thigh. The sleeves were much too long, draping past my fingertips. I rolled the sleeves up like Federico told me to, then tugged on the pair of pants. These stopped at my lower calf, the perfect length, but the waist was much too large even for my tucked shirt and woman hips. Ezio _did_ wear belts, I realized. Holding the pants up my hips, I threw the dress over my shoulder and walked out of the room.

Federico was waiting outside of the door. His eyes brightened. "Wow, look at you!" He laughed loudly. "I think a dress compliments you better!"

"I need a belt," I said through his laughter. "Ezio has huge hips—_balla troppo._" Federico was laughing harder now, having to lean against the wall. I laughed as well. "I'm going to go ask him for one, alright?"

"Fine, fine," Federico said between laughs. "He's in the living room with mother."

I walked down the hall towards the door that Ezio and Maria had gone into. About to knock on the door, I stopped short.

"Ezio, I'm just very concerned about you," Maria's voice came. "I think you need to find another outlet to express your abilities." There was a short pause. "And I'm _not_ talking about vaginas."

"PFFT!" I snorted, then quickly covered my mouth, hoping that they didn't hear me.

"Mother," Ezio started.

"What are you doing?" I flinched and turned around, Federico hovering over me.

"Nothing," I mumbled, putting my hand on the door handle, twisting it and pushing inside. At my entry, Maria and Ezio watched Federico and I walk in. They were on the couches, sitting across from each other. Ezio had to turn completely around to look at me.

He smirked. "You're looking attractive," he said, gazing over my loosely clothed body.

I sneered at him, gripping onto the pants tighter. "Don't kid yourself, _scemo_—I need a belt."

"Obviously." Ezio stood from the couch, taking his mother's hand in his, lifting it to his lips to kiss the back. "If you would excuse me, mother."

Maria smiled up at her son. "Do as you must Ezio."

Federico patted my shoulder and walked to the couches, sitting down. "Go and find Narina a belt, Ezio. I need to talk to mother."

Ezio dodged Federico's hand as it reached out to ruffle the younger brother's hair, and he stumbled towards me, grabbing my wrists and twisting me out of the room skillfully.

"Hey, hey!" I objected as Ezio tugged me down the halls, pulling back from his pull.

"What now?" Ezio asked turning back to glance at me.

"Take it easy!" I suggested, pulling away from him. "I have sensitive skin."

Ezio grinned in a charming yet chilling way. "Shall I test your word?" He raised his fingers to my cheek.

I kicked at his shin, but he dodged it. "_Figlio di una puttana!_" I screamed at him in rage. "Is that all you look at women for!"

Ezio help up his hands in defense. "It's what they want!"

I took a firmer hold of the loose pants around my waist, glaring at the man in front of me "Although you're an attractive man, I'm NOT like those who swoon at your gaze, Ezio! You'd do well to remember that!" I stormed past him, heading towards the stairs.

It peeved me more to hear him laugh. I swung back around to face him. "What's so funny!"

He was rubbing his chin, flashing his perfect teeth. "You admitted that you think I'm attractive."

I growled in anger, and turned back towards the staircase. "Really? That's all you got out of that?"

Ezio was soon beside me, still smiling. "Ah, it was just nice to hear it." Before I could reply, he bent down to put his face to the level of mine. "You actually don't look half bad in _my_ clothes you know—it's actually kind of endearing," he whispered in my ear.

I flinched away. "Puh-lease," I snapped. "You don't know a thing about 'endearing'."

Ezio straightened. "You'd be surprised."

I rolled my eyes, allowing him to help me up the stairs. "I'm sorry to say that it takes a lot to surprise me, Ezio."

"Then I'll have to try my best."

* * *

**Thanks for reviewing!**

**Review and tell me all about your thoughts please! It really, really motivates me!**

**Sorry-I forgot how Petruccio acted-and since my game is gone, I can't really check. :(**

**A BIG thanks to my beta, Kittenbell! :3 Thanks again, my friend!**

**(Thanks to Betty for the Translations! :3)**


	4. Truth Be Told

**Here's Chapter Three! (Or four in a way...)  
I'M AWESOME! (No you're not, dude, don't lie!) :3  
Well, I'm sorry that this one is short. I mean, really short. :( I guess it was going to happen sooner or later. But, I promise that I'll make it up to you guys! By the way, thanks for the support! It's really endearing! :3 THANKS! OH! AND my Summer Vacation is here! You know what that means, right? QUICKER UPDATES! I'm excited for myself! :D**

**Thanks for reviewing!:  
****-SporkedGamer (I wish you the best of luck with your 2012 time fanfic! I'll have to stop by and read it sometime!)  
****-SafetyPinStitches (no worries, no sadness in this chapter just yet! Those moments are coming up though! Thanks for sticking around!)  
****-Black Claided Cat (if the mistakes are there, please tell me so that I may fix them and make this story that much better! Thank you very much!)  
****-Dawn Gray Manson (haha don't worry! I'm still writing it, and updates will most likely come more quickly!)  
****-pinkrollingstone (Thanks for the praise on my character's emotions. It was really difficult for me to decide what to do for the characters you don't see much in the game!)  
****-Misaki and Sango (Thank you sooo much for the offer! If I ever run into trouble, I will definately ask for your help! Thanks for the help!)**

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**Chapter Three: Truth Be Told**

"Here." Ezio handed me a dark leather belt. I wrapped it around my waist, entrapping the edges of the pants under the strap. I managed to get my shoes on, which were more like flat slippers or whatever the hell they were called. "Absolutely charming." I glared at the smiling man, and made my way back through his bedroom door.

"I'm not looking to impress, Ezio." I flipped my hair out of my eyes. "Comfort is my top priority."

Chuckling, he followed me out the door. "I already told you that I think it's a very endearing look for you."

I pointed to my face. "Does it _look_ like I care what you think?"

"No, but I could change that." Ezio raised an eyebrow at me, letting his lips curve into a sly smirk.

I rolled my eyes, but before I could respond to his outrageous offer, Federico appeared around the corner.

"There you two are," he said, jogging up to us. He looked excited, a small light shining in the depths of his dark eyes.

"What's going on?" Ezio asked, stopping at Federico's approach. Apparently I wasn't the only one to notice the shine.

Federico reached out and ruffled my hair, saying something about how I should consider dresses again. "Mother wants us to take Narina around town –she's really concerned about this whole memory loss business. She also wants us to shop for food."

Ezio groaned. "We ran around town all day yesterday, not to mention I had a long night. I just want to stay home."

I grinned widely, realizing that I wanted Ezio to suffer for his wanton activities. "No, I think it's a _splendid_ idea!" I clapped my hands together. "It's always a pleasure to wander the _Firenze_ streets!"

"Way to be optimistic, Narina!" Federico took a hold of my elbow, telling me to hold the money as he handed me a pouch. "Hook it on your belt," he told me. "You'll keep a better hold of it than Ezio and I would. Now, we depart for _Firenze!_"

While we were walking out of the house, Ezio managed to throw me a look of resentment and I noticed that he seemed to have dark circles around his eyes. I simply smiled back at him, reaching up and patting his shoulder sunnily before racing down the street to catch up with Federico.

"You torture him too much," Federico whispered to me.

"It's still fun," I chimed back. "I like to rub his nose in his decisions. You know, all choices have a consequence."

Federico chuckled, rubbing at his nose. "Ezio still has to face all of his."

"That's going to be rough."

We stopped and waited for Ezio, who was taking his sweet time, making his point that he was tired.

"Liven up, _fratello_. We've got a long day ahead of us!"

Ezio glared at Federico, shoving at his shoulder. "_Chiudi il becco_," he mumbled.

I noticed that the town's streets were more lively this morning. We walked further into the town through the alleyways that the towering buildings created. There were many merchants and musicians edging the walkways, yelling out their pitches and songs. Under the protection of the shadows, the sun would only land on our faces every so often through the crevices between the buildings.

"Hmmm," I hummed, looking around myself, turning back to find Federico and Ezio shoving each other. I realized the looks that they were getting from the people around us. I reached out to them. "_Eh dai_," I said to them. "Let's calm down you two."

Out of nowhere, a man ran into me, and I was knocked back a few feet.

"_Scusate!"_ I squeaked, catching myself. The man who ran into me raced on by, and I didn't even get a chance to look at his face. I watched him for a moment before I realized that there was an absence of weight on my waist. I looked down, and saw that the pouch Federico had given me was gone. I started to panic, looking on the ground for it, patting down my clothes to see if I could find it.

"What's wrong, Narina?" Federico asked, holding his younger brother in a headlock.

"The money," I whispered. "I—I must've dropped it somewhere."

Ezio pulled out of Federico's hold and stared at me for a moment. "You _dropped_ it?"

I kept my gaze away from him, feeling guilty. "I must have."

His gaze went above my head focusing on the street. "That man," he started, brushing past me. "He bumped into you, right?" I turned around and saw the man pushing through the crowds.

"Yeah, why?"

Ezio looked back at me, a weird glint in his eyes. "Stay here." He broke off in a sprint after the man.

"Hey, wait!" I yelled after him, then turned back to Federico who looked like he was considering following him. "Wait, what's going on?"

Federico took my hand into his rough one. "That man stole our money. _Vieni!_" Federico ran down the street after Ezio, dragging me behind him. I sure was glad that I wasn't wearing a dress! I would have pitched forward on my face by then and it was nice to have free room for my legs to fling about. I kept up with Federico with a little more effort than I was comfortable with, but I kept up nonetheless.

"_Merda!_" Federico grunted, stopping suddenly.

"What?" I followed his gaze up to the buildings. I saw Ezio only a few feet behind the thief, running and leaping over the rooftops.

Federico let go of my hand. "Follow us from ground level, I'm going up." Before I could object, he was dragging himself up the side of the building, attracting all sorts of awed stares from the people around us.

"Wait, Federico!" It was no use. He was already up on the houses, running intently after his brother and the suspected thief. I didn't waste any more time to start weaving my way through the houses, trying to keep an eye on the figures on the roofs. Not too long later, I lost sight of them and I slowed into a walk. I realized that I was lost now, none of the buildings looking at all familiar. Not many people were walking these streets—it appeared that only drunks were stumbling around. I felt the chilling fact that most of those drunk men were staring at me with glimmering eyes. I brushed the curls around my face behind my ears, taking deep breaths to calm my suddenly palpitating heart.

I knew that I should have just stayed where I was so that they could find me easily, but I continued to wander about aimlessly. I managed to find myself back on one of the main streets, and with this discovery, I also found the _Firenze_ Armory and Fabric store. To my pleasure, the Bank was also amongst those, and I recalled that Giovanni was indeed the Banker of the town. Pushing my way through the crowd towards the front doors, I managed to get inside the building.

It was quiet and warm inside the bank, the smell of parchment thick in the air. I stood in a small room that was cut in half by a large desk at which a mousy looking man sat. He had thin light hair and dark beady eyes, which regarded me harshly as he looked up at me. I realized that I didn't look at all feminine like I should have.

"What can I do for you?" He asked curtly, putting down his writing utensil.

I cleared my throat. "Um, is Giovanni Auditore working now?"

"Yes." Then man leaned back in his chair. "What business do you have with him?"

"I know his sons."

"As does everyone in this town."

I grunted lightly, not liking this man's snide tone. I looked around briefly, trying to find an excuse. "He wished to speak with me today."

"Oh really?" The man stood up from the desk. "What's your name?"

"Narina," I answered. "Tell him Narina is here."

The man disappeared through a door to the right of his desk and I stood alone in the small room for a moment. The door opened again and Giovanni walked through.

"Narina!" He walked up to me and grasped my shoulders. "What are you doing here?" He looked down at my attire. "And why are you wearing my son's clothing?"

I shrugged innocently, grinning. "Boys' clothes are more comfy—and your sons are chasing after a thief that stole our money. I got left behind, so I decided to come visit you and have that talk you wanted to have last night."

Giovanni shook his head. "My sons, so eager to run amok…." He turned me towards the door and I gave a smug look to the man at the desk who looked almost shocked. "_Allora_. You claim you've come to talk?"

"Yes," I replied, nodding. "A continuation from our conversation from last night."

"Ah, yes, I had almost forgotten. Please, step into my office and we'll discuss our matters." I threw the man behind the desk a look that said 'I told you so' before walking into the room.

Giovanni's office at the bank looked very similar to his study back at home. His desk was just as cluttered with papers and books and his walls were covered with bookshelves. The only difference was that everything seemed to be a little more organized here. I figured that it was work protocol and a little organization was required.

"Please, sit down," Giovanni said, gesturing to one of the two chairs that was in front of the desk. I took the offer and planted myself in the chair, sucking in a deep breath as if to prepare myself for a long battle.

Giovanni sat at his desk, folding his hands and staring over at me.

"Well," he started after a huff. "You never gave me a reason to believe you."

I sat up straight. "Giovanni, I—"

"However," he said cutting me off. "You seem sincere and my sons are not threatened at all when you're around." I stared at him in awed silence. "They usually have the sense enough to be cautious around people who threaten them, visibly or not. Even if it might have something to do with your memory loss, Narina, I believe that you are a pure soul and that you are to be trusted."

It took me a moment to actually realize what he was saying, and when I did, I smiled widely. "Thank you s_ignore_! Thank you!"

"But this brings us back to the main concern of this situation." Giovanni waved his finger through the air to make his point clear. "How do you know about _my_ situation?"

I had to stop and think about it. "What, the Cree—"

Giovanni raised a finger to his lips, making me stop. "Shh," he whispered and then pointed at the door. He mouthed a 'he's listening'.

I closed my mouth, and nodded. "I can't tell you truthfully, Giovanni. I mean, I could lie, but I don't think that's what you want to hear."

Giovanni chuckled. "You're right—however, I want you to try and think your hardest for me."

"Alright," I agreed, closing my eyes. "I'll try"

I took a few moments, reaching into the darkness that was my mind to see if a new light would brighten my memories. But somehow, I knew that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't force the information to come back. It would all come back to me whenever _it_ felt it needed to.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, looking up at the man. "I can't seem to recall…."

"Then tell me this," Giovanni offered, spreading his hands on top of his desk. "Why did you suggest Ezio instead of Federico?"

"I told you," I said. "A feeling."

"But you see," Giovanni explained. "I've already been training Federico, as he is my eldest."

I looked down at my hands folded in my lap, thinking about his words. "But, isn't Ezio more _suited_ to be a…um…carrier of the legacy?"

Giovanni gave me a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Doesn't Ezio have Eagle Vision?" I blurted out, losing the hold of where exactly the information had come from.

Giovanni leaned back in his chair, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "You're right—he does have that ability, oddly enough since most of our kind doesn't."

"Then he is special," I whispered, leaning across the desk. "Perhaps more special than any of us can even consider."

Giovanni slowly started to nod. "There was always something about that boy," he whispered, his eyes gazing off. "Ever since the day he was born, there was…something….."

A small silence came over the two of us and it lasted for a long while.

I cleared my throat. "However, if you're already training Federico, then…" I was cut off by a knock on the door to whom Giovanni granted access into the room. It was the man from the desk, and just the sight of him made me upset again.

"_Signore _Auditore, there is a customer who requires your help."

I stood from the seat. "Sorry to keep you from work, Giovanni. I'll go see if Ezio and Federico found that thief. Can we talk again later tonight, maybe?"

Giovanni smiled at me. "Of course Narina. See you at home."

I nodded to the man at the door, who nodded back more respectfully this time, and I made my way out of the bank.

After about two seconds of walking out on the street, I heard my name being yelled.

"Narina? Narina! There you are!" I turned at the voice and saw Ezio running up to me, a look of pure relief on his face. "_Grazie a dio _you're okay!" Before I could make some snarky remark about how they just left me high and dry, I was forced to keep my words to myself. Ezio had pulled me up into his arms, holding me to his chest. "God, we thought for sure you had been kidnapped!" His thick arms entrapped me so tightly that I couldn't wriggle free. But as I was enveloped in his heat, I realized that I didn't want to remove myself from his embrace. I let my arms wrap about him, my hands resting on his back.

"I'm sorry," I whispered into his shirt.

His heart beat was so mesmerizing that I soon found my breathing slowing to the metronome beat of his pulse. His body heat made me feel calm and forget the reason why I should have been mad at him at all.

All too soon, he held me out at his arms length. "Where the hell were you?" He asked, taking a hold of my gaze.

I broke out of my daze and looked away from him, feeling my face flush. "I—I went to see your father at work."

Ezio sighed, letting me go and rubbing his head. "You scared the shit out of us, Narina!"

I still kept my gaze from him. "Well, you guys just left me, and I was lost, and I found the bank, and…." I realized that I was rambling. God! What the hell was happening to me?

Ezio held out his hand to me. "Well, we caught the thief—let's go find Federico now."

I considered whether I should brush his hand aside and keep my dignity as an independent woman, or if I should give in to the desire that burned inside of me to take a firm hold of his hand. I decided that maybe my distressing moment a second ago would be an excuse for wanting comfort, so I took a hold of his hand.

Smiling at me, Ezio led me down the street, calling out his brother's name. I joined in as if to let the man know, if he could hear us, that I was okay. Federico found us not too long afterward, jumping from a low rooftop. He gave me a rough hug as well, saying that he was sorry for leaving me. I found it odd that Federico's hug didn't have the same effect on me as Ezio's did. It was warm and comforting, but it didn't make my heart stutter in my chest.

"Let's buy some food so we can get back home," Federico said, keeping an arm wrapped around me. He held up the pouch of money. "I'll keep a hold of this."

We made our way through the markets and back to the Auditore house without another problem. When we got back to the house, Maria was waiting outside. When she spotted us, she asked Federico to escort her to a friends house. With nods to each other, Federico and Maria left and Ezio told me he was going upstairs to take a nap.

"Maybe you should spend your nights more effectively rather than productively, Ezio," I suggested with a smirk. "Anyways, have a nice nap."

I waved at him mockingly, ignoring his glares as he walked up the stairs. When he was gone from sight, I let my hand drop back down to my side slowly and a grim feeling swept over me.

Of course my conversation with Giovanni was what had me worried. The more I thought about my answers and reactions to this Creed of his, the more I felt like I didn't belong here in Florence with the Auditores. Moreover, I felt as though I should just butt out and let things fall as they may, because for some unknown reason, I felt as though I was messing with fate, twisting the strings around in a way so retched that they could never be fixed.

For the first time that I could remember, I was scared to be in contact with the Auditores and I wasn't even sure of how to protect myself. Not only was I ignorant, but I was also useless and all I could do was wait silently.

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**I had fun writing this chapter, although I don't know why.  
I realized half way through writing this that Giovanni doesn't actually go to the bank to work, does he? :( I wasn't sure. If so, tell me I can call myself an idiot.  
PLEASE review! Give me some feedback here, people!**

**A BIG thanks to my wonderful and amazing beta, Kittenbell! :3**


	5. What it Takes

**Wow! Already to chapter five, hm! Geez, it seems like I just updated this story like three days ago. Oh wait...sorry five days ago. :3 I've been on a roll lately. Summer doesn't do anything for me –I just sit at home all alone since apparently my friends hate me soooo... yeah.  
STILL no sadness. God, I just had so much to put in this chapter that the sadness has to wait for the next chapter! When I think of how long I'm making the ten minute beginning be in the story, I shudder to think how long the **_**rest**_

** of the story will take!  
For a disclaimer, I used actual conversations from the real game in this chapter, so I'll just say it here that I do not own Assassin's Creed II or the dialogue that I've 'borrowed' from the game.  
Oh yeah. I get to call myself an idiot TWICE! So I'm an idiot-idiot. :3**

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**Thanks for the reviews everyone!:  
-SporkedGamer (so we pretty much rock with our original-ness. I've never read a 2012 one, so I better make my way to your stories soon! and btw, I've always imagined Altair as a jerk, but I love him to death anyways.)  
-SafetyPinStitches(sorry it's pretty much still the 'calm before the storm' chapter. :( I just can't let Federico die though! :( But it has to be! :| Maybe I'll make another story for just Federico..)  
-pinkrollingstone (Thanks for the heads up on the whole 'bank' scenario. I feel like such an idiot and I don't deserve to call myself an Assassin's Creed fan. :( But! I took up your suggestion of the Youtube thing and it works out PERFECTLY so thanks! :3)  
-Killer-Chan (yeah...no luck for Federico. :( But I love him dearly anyways.)  
-shadownip (sorry if I don't meet with your expectations! :3 But I'll try my hardest!)  
-Satsurku-sama(your review made my day! Every time I type 'Narina' now, I'll think of noses! lol)  
-Spartan907 (I know, I'm a horrible speller. sorry if it bothers you, but thanks for the heads up! I'll try harder from now on!)  
-deisaso95 (No worries! It's a story that is in constant progress for now! chapters will be posted soon!)**

**Enjoy this chapter of **_**sexy**_** Auditore brothers. :3**

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**Chapter 4: What it Takes**

When I woke up the next morning, I heard muffled voices from outside my window. I just laid there for a moment, trying to figure out who's voices they were, but I couldn't due to my morning grogginess. I rolled out of the rather large bed, flinging the maroon covers off of me and straightened out Ezio's clothing that I had slept in. After finding my shoes next to the door, I put them on and exited the room.

Walking down the halls, I realized that I hadn't taken the time to memorize the house yet so I would probably find myself lost. Hopefully one of the brothers or Anetta were wandering around the house. However, even in my lack of recognition, I found the stairs to the front room. Standing at the bottom of the stairs were Giovanni and Maria, whispering softly and giving each other pecking kisses. Trying not to be awkward about it, I descended that stairs quietly so as to not disturb them. It was nice to see, however, that they loved each other despite Giovanni's decision to be what he was.

I didn't go by unnoticed. Giovanni turned towards me, and I froze mid-step. "_Buon Giorno,_" he said with a smile. Maria gave me a smile as well, and even though they were warm, I knew something was going down.

"_Buon Giorno,_" I whispered, rubbing at my eyes. "Is everything alright?"

Giovanni nodded, an odd look shadowing his face. "Everything is fine."

I stared at him for a moment, and then sighed, shrugging and shaking my head. "I'll worry anyways." I gave the man a hard look. "Be careful, Giovanni."

He only smiled at me in response. With one more kiss to his wife and another whisper or two, he turned towards me and went up the stairs, which was kind of odd. I watched him pass by me, before I continued to descend the stairs myself. Maria and I exchanged a few looks and then she led me to the dining room.

Breakfast didn't seem to be as cheery as the day before had been. Although the brothers exchanged a few competitive words and Claudia discussed her boyfriend matters with Maria I didn't care enough to actually listen to them. I just quietly ate my breakfast. It actually surprised me to see that Petruccio was talking with his brothers as well. It hit me then that none of them seemed to question Giovanni's sudden disappearance. Perhaps they all knew, but then again, judging by the way Giovanni held the matter, I didn't think anyone in his family knew besides his wife, who obviously was use to hiding her distress.

"Narina." I looked up at the sound of my name to Federico next to me.

He tilted his head at me in concern. "You haven't been talking much this morning. Are you okay?"

I forced a small smile. "Yeah, I'm just a little tired."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes," I said a little curtly. "I mean, I just woke up so I'm a little groggy still."

"Well, okay." He turned back to Ezio, who had thrown him some snark remark that I didn't even care to acknowledge. I glanced over at Maria, who was looking at Claudia in a soft, motherly way. Everything seemed to be in it's right place, but I had the oddest feeling that something...that something _wasn't_ right. It was a specific worry as well. I had a feeling that Giovanni's judgment wasn't going to uphold his trust and then something..._bad_ was going to happen. Something that would change _everything_ and _no one_ would be able to stop it. It was all inevitable.

When breakfast ended, Federico offered to show me around the house some more.

"So you can familiarize yourself," he explained.

I was about to accept his offer, but then I heard Maria say to Ezio "Please come with me to Leonardo Da Vinci's house to carry some paintings for me, Ezio."

_Leonardo Da Vinci?_ Now _that_ name sounded familiar. _Very_ familiar.

"Ah, if I may," I said, taking a step towards the two, "I wish to go with you two." Federico gave me an odd look. I smiled at him apologetically. "Sorry –you can show me the house later, but I feel that I know this Leonardo."

Federico hesitated, but nodded. "Okay, do as you must. I'll stay here and wait for your return." He made an odd motion and I thought for a moment that he was going to hug me, but then he simply patted my head softly. I convinced myself that it was all in my head, that is until I stepped out of the house next to Ezio, who was snickering lightly under his breath. I proceeded to punch his shoulder and huff out a 'shut up' before catching up with Maria.

After a few moments of walking, Maria glanced over at her son. "Ezio, about your fight with the Pazzi the other day..."

"You were in a fight?" I asked in shock looking up at Ezio.

"Fight is over exaggerating, Mother," Ezio claimed, rolling his eyes at me.

"Do not lie, Ezio –let's not play this game."

"They were speaking ill of us, _Madre_," Ezio said in defense. "I had to do something about it."

Maria sighed, and reached out for Ezio's arm. "Ezio, I'm sure he's having a hard time dealing with the accusations against his father, Francesco de Pazzi, and none of them are good. But even I never expected him to be capable of _murder_."

The context of her words were familiar enough, but the situation and the names rang no bell of recognition in my mind. Although I was curious, I decided to keep my big mouth shut.

"What'll happen to him?" Ezio asked, walking on the other side of his mother.

"I imagine that there will be a trial."

Ezio glanced at me, and then back to his mother. "Will father speak at it?"

"He'll have to," Maria claimed, pausing for a moment. "He's the one with the evidence."

Ezio sighed and looked up at the top of the buildings as if looking for an escape. "Still, I wish there was another way," he whispered.

Maria patted his arm comfortingly. "You've nothing to fear, my son. Everyone wants a form of justice, and although it's an unfortunate state of affairs, it'll pass."

We walked in silence for a moments before Maria turned to me on her other side. "Narina, how do you know our friend Leonardo?"

I smiled at her, but shook my head. "I'm not even sure."

"Perhaps more answers will be revealed when you see him?" she offered with a smile.

"Maybe."

We stopped at a door covered by an awning, having to walk under a small archway to reach it. Maria knocked lightly on the door, and a moment later it was opened by a young man who looked to be in his mid twenties. He had mid length brown hair and light blue eyes, like mine, apparently. However, at the sight of him, the force of recognition made me want to crumble to my knees and I felt slightly sick as my thoughts roiled about nauseatingly in my head.

"Ah, _madonna_ Maria!" The man said with a large smile while he and Maria exchanged greeting kisses.

"Hello, Leonardo." Maria turned towards Ezio and I. "This is my son, Ezio, and his friend Narina."

"A pleasure to meet you, Ezio and Narina," the man said, bowing his head.

"The pleasure is all ours," Ezio said with a smile. I just stared at the man with wide eyes, completely overwhelmed my memories which were trying to force their way to the surface.

"Let me go get the paintings. I'll be right back," Leonardo said, and disappeared back into the house.

Maria turned towards Ezio. "He really is quite talented," she said with admiration in her eyes.

"I guess," Ezio said doubtfully.

"Ezio, self-expression is vital to understanding and enjoying life. You should find an outlet for yourself, like I mentioned before."

"I have plenty of outlets," Ezio said in his defense.

I snapped out of my haze now that the man was back indoors. "Ezio," I said, giving him a hard look when he looked at me. "Vaginas aren't a hobby."

He threw his hands up as if to defend himself from a punch. "Why is everyone picking on me over that?" He exclaimed. "I have more outlets than that!"

"My son," Maria said again. "They're not an outlet, remember?"

Ezio huffed and rolled his eyes.

"To your house, then?" Leonardo came out the door with a box of paintings in his arms.

"_Si, si_," Maria said, walking beside Leonardo who had set the box down on the ground. "Ezio, please help Leonardo, hmm?"

"_Si._" Ezio gruffly picked up the box. I snickered at him for a moment, stopping when he threw me a dark glare. I guessed it wasn't the right moment to tease him about it –not yet, anyways.

"So, Ezio, what is it that you do?" Leonardo asked the young man once we started heading back to the Auditores' house.

"He has been working for his Father," Maria answered before Ezio had the chance, which made him even more grim which gave me another reason to tease him later.

"Ah, so you're to be a Banker, then?" Leonardo seemed a little too bubbly for what I expected him to be, to tell the truth. But, then again, I was the one with the memory loss so I decided not to say anything about it.

"For now, anyways," Ezio explained. "And you? Art, was it?"

Leonardo stroked at his face. "I'm not sure –it's quite hard for me to settle, you see. I feel that painting isn't enough, that it doesn't have a great enough purpose. I want to be able to deliver more directly, you see. Like through architecture, anatomy –I don't just want to capture the world in a painting, I want to _change_ it."

"Oh, Leonardo, I have no doubt that you will create many great things!"

"Thank you, Maria. That's very kind, although I..."

"You will." All of three of the people walking next to me turned and gazed at me. I kept my gaze on Leonardo's blue eyes. "You will someday Leonardo. I know it. Not only for your art, but your wits and your thoughts as well." An odd sense of astonishment came over me, and my insides suddenly felt all twisted together. "You will be written down in history."

"Please," Leonardo said with clear embarrassment. "You all give me too much credit." Before I could reply, I realized that we were in front of the Auditores' house again. Ezio set the paintings down next to the front door and turned back to Maria and Leonardo.

"Thank you for your help, Ezio," Maria said. "Don't let me keep you from your other duties as well. Run off."

"It was nice to meet you Ezio, Narina. I hope our paths cross again someday."

"As do I," Ezio replied with a short bow of his head. I curtsied and the man turned and walked back around the corner while Maria made her way inside the house.

I giggled lightly under my breath, making Ezio look at me. " I met a famous person," I whispered, proudly folding my arms.

"He's not that famous," Ezio pointed out. "He's just a painter."

I threw him a hard look. "Yeah, a painter that'll change the world."

He shrugged. "Like he said, you give him too much credit."

I sighed quickly in an annoyed huff. "If you're just going to be unpleasant, I think I'll step inside now. " I took a hold of the door handle and opened it, taking a step into the house. "Good day, Ezio." I slammed the door before he could respond.

I snorted and shook my head. _He just has to find every little thing to argue about, doesn't he?_ I thought with annoyance. _How irritating_.

* * *

I was surprised that Federico wasn't waiting for me right at the door. Since he wasn't, I walked around on the first level of the house, waiting for Federico to make one of his sudden appearances that he was so good at. Oddly enough, I didn't find anyone, so I proceeded to make my way up to the second floor. It was weird that I found Petruccio before I found Federico

As I passed an open door, I noticed that the young Auditore was hanging out of the window of the room, like he was watching something. I stopped by the door and knocked on it. Petruccio turned to look at me.

"Hey," I said with a smile. "Do you know where Federico is?"

Petruccio nodded. "He went on an errand that mother asked him to go on."

"Oh." I walked into the room slowly, folding my hands together. "What are you doing?"

He turned back towards the window and pointed up to the rooftops of the building next door. "I want those feathers," he said. "Only, I can't go outside to get them myself."

"Why not?" I asked, now standing next to him. I looked out the window to where he was pointing and saw a little flit of the feather over the edge of the roof.

Petruccio stared up at me with his big, dark eyes. "I'm sick. I can't go outside."

I looked down at him shock. "You don't...seem sick," I commented, looking at him carefully.

He looked back out the window. "Mother says that if I go outside, I could die."

I stared at him quietly. It was sad to think that this poor little boy was so sick that he could die at any living moment. I reached out and patted the top of his head.

"Listen –I'll go get them for you, okay? Although I'm not that good of a climber so it might take a long while."

Petruccio's eyes lit up happily. "Really? Thank you!"

I pinched at the kid's cheeks playfully. "I'll be back." With that I walked out of the room and made my way back outside.

I circled around the house to find the building that the feathers were perched upon. It was a lot taller than I had first thought.

_How the hell am I suppose to climb this thing?_ I thought in awed surprise. The wall straight up from the street was no good –not only were the lowest windows not low enough to grab onto, but I didn't have the physical strength to pull myself up the straight wall. I decided to start smaller, to walk around this building and see if there were any lower buildings next to it. There was one I noticed when I walked around the corner, only I knew that I would have trouble even to get up to this roof.

I stared helplessly up the wall, trying to find an easy way to climb up. _Well,_ I thought as I brushed my hair out of my face,_ if Ezio and Federico can climb with me over their shoulders, the least I can do is pull myself up_. I looked to my right and saw some crates piled up on each other, giving me a good boost about four feet up. I should have known that even climbing up these simple crates wasn't going to be easy, but I didn't even think twice about it as I scrambled up the pile, creating a great wobble effect that almost knocked the stack down. I heard many astonished whispers from the people on the streets watching me.

I was finally able to get my sense of balance back and stood up on the boxes. From there, I looked up to gauge how much further the roof's edge was from me. I had a good 6 to 7 feet to go, so that meant that actual climbing would have to be involved. I heaved a big breath, wiping my hands on my pants, and reached up for a small crevice in the wall. Finding a foothold as well, I managed to get myself off the crates and onto the wall.

Great. _Now_ what?

Slowly, I inched my way up the wall, taking my time to search out grip holes to pull myself up. By the time I was actually on top of the building and on the roof, I had spent a good six minutes and I was well out of breath.

"_Mio Dio_," I panted as I sat down to catch my breath. "How in the _hell_ did Ezio and Federico _carry_ me while doing that?" It was unbelievable! Not only did they have to drag themselves up the wall, but they also had the burden of my obviously heavy body weight. I decided right then and there that my respect for the brothers went up quite a bit.

After catching my breath, I gazed up the initial building's wall and realized that there was no way in _any_ hell that I would make it up there.

But just the thought of Petruccio's sad eyes when he talked about his deadly illness made me suck it up and try to devise a plan for pulling myself up that building! The grip holes and foot holes appeared to be further apart on this building, which probably meant more arm strength from me. My arms ached at the thought.

I managed to get both of my hands and feet in a good point, but then I realized that I had no where to go, that the gaps between the holes were much farther apart than I had anticipated. I groaned loudly, and dropped back down about the foot that I had climbed. "I'll never make it up there!" I whined. "Seriously, why does he have to pick the hardest spot to get feathers?"

After brewing in my own inability for a good minute or so, I began to pace around the roof, trying to think up of a way to get the damned feathers.

"Narina!"

My brain clicked at the voice. _Of course._ I turned toward the sound and watched as Ezio pulled himself up onto the roof.

"What are you doing up here?" He asked, flashing me a grin.

I ignored his charm and pointed up to the taller building. "Your younger brother wants the feathers on top of that building. Although I'm not physically fit for the caper, I was going to retrieve them for him since he's ill." I paused and looked at Ezio for a moment. "You never told me he was sick," I whispered, lowering my eyes.

Ezio sighed and rubbed his head. "He'll be fine if he stays indoors. The doctors said so."

My fingers fiddled around with each other as I looked up at him. "That doesn't seem like an ideal way for him to spend his childhood –locked indoors."

"It's better than having him dead." Ezio walked past me, making a swirl of air wash over my face. I felt it didn't matter –it didn't matter if he was dead from his illness or if he was locked up inside. I felt that it was all of no use, that no matter how hard they tried, Petruccio was going to die soon.

I closed my eyes, biting my lip and shaking my head to rid myself of the horrifying thoughts running through my head. It was a strange and scary feeling to anticipate death, and I certainly didn't want to practice it on poor little Petruccio.

"So," Ezio said, making me turn around to face him. He was staring up at the building like I had been doing as well. "Do you need me to help you?"

I sighed, and rolled my eyes, not liking the way he was making me force it into words. "Yeah, that would probably be best." Ezio, who had turned around for my answer, grinned and chuckled lightly. I shrugged back at him. "I would probably end up falling and killing myself anyways."

After he was done laughing at me, he proceeded to scale the wall with ease, making it look at though anyone could do it.

_Show off_, I thought gruffly, kicking at a small pebble that had been on the roof.

In no time, Ezio had scaled the building, retrieved the feathers, and was back down on the lower roof beside me.

"Wow," I said with complete sarcasm as he walked up to me. "I think that was a new record!" He ignored my jibe and handed the feathers to me.

"I'll give you the credit," he told me.

I gave him a confused look. "Why? You did all the work –besides..."

Ezio put one of his fingers to my lips to silence me, which I immediately jumped away from his touch, setting my heart a flutter. "Petruccio really seems to look up to you," he explained. "Besides, I don't want to get stuck on feather duty all day."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, it's the least damn thing you could do for him."

Ezio shrugged. "I like more practical things."

I looked at the soft, dark feathers that were now in my hands. "Why does he need these?" I asked.

Ezio had already made his way to the edge of the roof, looking over as if to judge where he was going to land when he jumped down. "_Non so_. Ask _him_."

I moved next to him and stared up at him. "You know, you're a real asshole," I commented.

"Only for you, Narina."

Glaring at him, I seriously considered spitting at him. "Fuck you."

Pouting and then shrugging, he said, "Well, you're normally not my type, but, alright. I'll try you out."

For God's sake, I wanted to rip his hair out and maybe wipe that smile off of his damned face with a good punch! Giving him my evil eye, I was considering pushing him off the building to watch him fall to his death when I spurted out, "No, I don't _want_ STDs."

Finally, the smile disappeared, and he looked at me, confused. "What are STDs?"

I paused, and in a flash, my anger disappeared. I was confused as well. "I'm not sure..." I said, then raised my hand to my head. "God, that was weird."

"What was?"

"Just –nothing," I answered in a hurry, remembering why I had been mad a few moments before. "Can we just go home now? Petruccio is waiting for his feathers."

"Fine by me." Ezio offered me his hand. "Do you want me to help you down, or are you just going to jump yourself?" he explained when I gave him an odd look. Sighing, I gave in and took his hand, to which he used to pull me to his side as he tucked me under his arm. He did a cute little countdown from 10 before we jumped, and it was then that I figured out that Ezio really enjoyed pissing me off. When we were on the ground again, he proceeded to breath down my neck, making me shiver and swing my fist at his face.

"You're just asking me to rip your eyes out, aren't you?" I threatened, pushing him away from me as we started to walk.

He only chuckled at me, but he kept his distance this time. He walked me to the door of the house and said something about how he was needed elsewhere before running back out into the streets. I watched him for a moment, my anger growing more distant the further he went away from me. I needed to stay away from him for a good while, I decided. I didn't want to deal with him anymore today than I had to.

* * *

"Your feathers, good sir," I announced loudly as I walked into Petruccio's room.

The boy ran from the window and up to me with outstretched hands. "Thank you, Narina!" He held the soft, dark feathers in his hands and smiled down at them brightly. I smirked evilly, not even considering giving Ezio the credit now.

I squatted down so I could watch him. It was strange to see how his happiness worked on my own. "What do you need these for?" I asked, taking only that part of what Ezio had said seriously.

Petruccio gazed at me for a moment, then raised his finger to his mouth, as if to tell me to be quiet. "It's a secret," he whispered.

_C'mon!_ I though warily. _I busted ass for those!_ But my words came out exposed. "Well, can't you tell me?"

He still shook his head. "Not now, but later perhaps, after I collect enough."

I looked at the feathers still sitting softly in the palm of his hands. "How much do you need?"

"Around one hundred at least," he explained.

I stared at him in shock. "That's a LOT of feathers, Petruccio."

He grinned at me. "I _need_ a lot of feathers."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Well, then, I can't wait to hear this secret of yours."

At that moment, we heard the front door down on the lower floor open, and then loud cries were echoing throughout the house. In my shock, I barely heard Petruccio say "That's Claudia –I wonder what's wrong this time."

A course of fear and anticipation bolted through me. "Is she okay?"

Petruccio nodded. "It's probably boy problems again."

I nodded. "Well, I'm going to go check it out. See you, Petruccio."

"See you Narina, and thanks again."

It didn't take me long to find out where Claudia was. I simply followed the sound of the sniffles and sobs. They led me to the common room down on the first floor with all of the couches. Not only was Claudia in the room, but both of her older brothers were as well.

"Narina!" Federico greeted me when I walked in the room.

"What happened?" I asked, staring at Claudia who was sobbing loudly into her hands. Federico stood from the couch and walked up to me, giving me a one-armed hug, which was comforting and actually quite a nice change from the events that I had gone through earlier that day.

Federico sighed. "That's what we were trying to figure out."

I was confused. "She hasn't said anything?" Federico shook his head as a simple answer.

"Please, Claudia," Ezio was begging her, sitting next to her and touching her shoulder comfortingly. "What is it that has you so upset?"

"It's Duccio!" she managed to wail. "The other girls tell me that he's been...unfaithful!" More tears were streaming down the girl's face. "Ezio, I thought that they were my friends!"

"They're harpies!" Ezio exclaimed loudly. "You're much better off without them!"

I rolled my eyes, and leaned into Federico more. "I bet you anything that he'd sleep with them all in a heartbeat," I whispered.

Federico quickly raised his hand to his mouth to stifle a laugh. Then he whispered back, "You're probably right."

I smiled, pressing my lips together to keep my own laughter inside.

"But I loved him!" Claudia cried loudly, grasping onto the front of Ezio's shirt, and I wondered idly if it could have gotten any more dramatic.

"No, Claudia, you only _thought_ you did."

Claudia frowned. "He should pay for what he has done," she whispered darkly.

There it was –the mood swing. Of course it could get more dramatic.

"Then let me go talk to him, Claudia. I'll be back." Ezio stood from the couch while Claudia dried her tears on the sleeves of her dress.

Ezio approached Federico and I. "I'm going to find Duccio."

"I'll go too," Federico offered. Although he had laughed at Ezio's circumstance, I knew that he was upset about his sister's unfaithful man just as much as Ezio seemed to be.

"I'm coming too," I said. "I'm more than eager enough to throw some punches today." I threw a quick glare at Ezio, but he was too absorbed in his own anger to pay any attention to my own.

"Where would he be?" Federico asked as we all paraded out of the house. Ezio glowered about the streets as if choosing which way he should head.

"He wouldn't be in town," he said slowly. "Let's check around the house."

Of course, Ezio took off quickly around the corner, and I realized just how angry he was about this whole thing. Federico seemed to be reigning in his anger, and he simply walked with me instead of running ahead.

I glanced up at Federico "Ezio is this upset because...?"

"Claudia was so attached to Duccio in a way." Federico sighed and closed his eyes. "I can't believe it's come to this."

"I'm sorry that it had to come to this, but this guys seems like he deserves it," I explained.

Federico sighed, and rubbed his head. "Claudia can usually take care of it herself is what I meant." I looked up at him, confused. "It runs in the family, the hardheadedness," he explained. "The will to take it all on your own shoulders and the strength to deal with it as well. Not only are the Auditores rash and bold, but we can back up our words with a fiery passion to make things go our way. Even Claudia, gentle woman that she can be, has inherited these traits, which makes her a, uh...hard woman to please."

I smiled at him. "Well, if you think about it, all women are hard to please, Federico"

"Indeed, you are right." Federico smirked at me and ruffled my hair a bit.

Duccio was behind a few buildings to the back of the Auditore villa, snuggled into a corner with a rather large woman. It was hard to miss them –the streets here were bare and hardly anyone was walking around. Ezio was approaching them rapidly by the time we came into the area.

"_Veni!_" Federico took a hold of my hand and began to run towards the scuffle that was about to break out.

We ran up soon enough to watch Ezio deliberately punch Duccio's chin, making the man curse loudly.

Federico put a hand on my stomach. I looked up at him. "Stay here," he ordered, then ran up to Duccio as well.

"You insult my sister!" Ezio declared, then jabbed an accusing finger at the large woman who had now positioned herself behind Duccio. "Parading around with this _puttana_." The woman gasped loudly, and covered her mouth as if appalled by the accusation.

"What are you talking about?" Duccio asked innocently, still rubbing at his chin.

"Don't play _stupido_. I heard the words you told her and saw the gift you gave her."

Duccio poked a finger at Ezio's chest. "Maybe if your sister wasn't so _stingy_ with her gift..."

Federico reached over and knocked the mans' arm away from Ezio. Duccio suddenly realized that there were now two brothers instead of only one. "You broke her heart," Federico whispered in a deadly tone, and it almost surprised me to hear him to angry.

Duccio laughed loudly. "Yeah, well, now, I'm going to break your faces!" He raised a fist, and I felt a prick of anticipation to watch this guy get the bloody hell beat out of him. "You Auditores always talk so big, but when it comes to the actual action...pah!"

Ezio snarled at the man. "You'll regret opening that big mouth of yours."

"You're sister was lucky to have a man like me, although I could have taught her so much more than what I had."

"_Bastardo!_"

Duccio threw his punch.

Ezio was quick to counter the punch that was thrown at him, ducking out from under the fist, then flinging his fist into Duccio's stomach, rendering him shocked and bent over in pain. Federico proceeded to grab Duccio's head, and forced it down painfully to his upraised knee. I flinched at the sickening sound of a nose cracking, possibly breaking. Duccio fell backwards, his nose bleeding and his lip busted. As he lay spread eagle on his back, Ezio took the liberty of kicking his heel into the mans crotch several times.

Federico put a hand on Ezio's shoulder, urging him to stop. Ezio kicked Duccio one last time, pointed at him and then demanded, "stay away from my sister!" The man didn't respond, he just lay on his side now, cupping his crotch and whimpering.

I thought Federico was calm now, but a kick to Duccio's side from the eldest Auditore brother told me calm wasn't on anyone's mind. I made my way towards the men now, and before the two led me away from the "battlefield", I spat on Duccio and whispered to him "Your name fits you, douche bag." I returned back to Ezio and Federico, who were waiting for me silently. Federico offered me his arm, and Ezio just smiled at me and pinched at my cheek. I swatted his hand away like he was a pesky fly and drew myself closer to Federico, who then told Ezio to leave me alone.

"Aw, now isn't that cute," Ezio teased with a smirk. "You two just get along so well." I blushed, but tried to ignore Ezio for the rest of the way home.

I thought that the worst was over and now all I had left was the rest of the day touring around the Auditore house with Federico But when we got to the house, Giovanni was waiting outside by the gate.

"Father," both the brothers greeted.

Giovanni, usually the kind man, was grim and serious. "Ezio, I need to have a word with you," he said in a flat tone.

"Yes, father. What is it?" I noticed in the past few days that Ezio seemed eager for his father's approval.

"I have a letter I want you to deliver to an associate of mine in the city." Giovanni handed a folded letter to Ezio carefully. "And then I need you to pick up a message from a pigeon coop not too far from here. Could you please do this for me?"

"_Si,_ Father. Of course."

"And Ezio," Giovanni added before the boy could run off. "Try not to get in trouble, hm?"

Ezio smirked. "Of course." He then disappeared into the crowds of the city.

Giovanni smiled at Federico and I, and I realized that I still was latched onto his arm like a begging women. I immediately let go, and greeted Giovanni with a bow. "Good day, Giovanni."

"Narina, Federico," he nodded back. I noticed the sly smirk Giovanni threw his son before he walked back into the house.

I smiled shyly and looked up at Federico He was smiling back as well, lightly shaking his head. He cleared his throat and rubbed at his face. "Well," he coughed. "Let's get this tour underway."

* * *

**I seriously fell in love with Federico when I wrote this chapter. I don't even know why-he's just so kind in my mind.  
When I watched the video on Youtube to gain references for the Claudia part, I absolutely LOVE how she goes from being all depressed that her boyfriend is cheating on her to 'HE NEEDS TO DIE!' in a matter of two seconds. Bravo, Claudia, bravo. (she actually gets on my nerves...that's why I make her whiny in my story. :|)  
Oh, by the way, I spent two whole weeks looking for 'Assassin's Creed: Lineage', and I FINALLY FOUND IT! Oh, I was so happy! I use that for references now as well! (which, since we're on the subject, I'm SO glad they didn't model Ezio from the guy they chose in that show. I think I would have barfed.)**

**Thanks again! PLEASE review!**

**Duccio...seriously, what kind of an ass-hole name is that?**


	6. His Last Words

**I had tears in my eyes when I wrote the last of this chapter, and even though I cry at alot of things, I have never, ever cried at my own stories. :|  
On the brigter side, Kelvin brought me the PS3 again so I can finally play Assassin's Creed again! :3 Yay!**

**Thanks for reviewing!:**  
**-Spartan907: Thanks for all the support and the reviews! I can't tell you how much it means to me!**

**-shadownip:Thanks for the review and the amazing-ness, I guess. :3**

**-Estonia007: I try really hard to create more of a natural feeling with my character, so thanks for praising me on that! :3**

**-SporkedGamer: Ha, well Duccio IS kind of a jackass name. You're wonders will be answered in this chapter, although I'm pretty sure you know already, but enjoy, nontheless. And please don't be jealous-you're story is just as amazing, if not even more, as my story, and I absolutly LOVE it! :3**

**-SafetyPinStitches: haha Yep, he named her too! lol I forgot about that! And seriously-who the hell can climb buildings like that Naturally? Not me! lol I'll try my hardest to get around to the Federico story!**

**-Satsuriku-sama: ha, I keep forgetting about the Nostril thing! lol thanks for all the laughs you give me! lol**

**-pinkrollingstone: I think you're absolutely right about the whole 'Ezio never maturing' thing. STD's are always good for small laugh (unless, you know, it's serious or something).**

**-Thylja: Thank you and welcome to my story! Federico is an amazing guy and Ezio is indeed a sexy, yet irritating guy! Thanks for the support, and I hope you enjoy my story!**

**-Misaki and Sango: Thank you, I try to make the relationship between the two romantic, but not so much it obvious. I think I'll have to seek your help here soon-I'm getting more and more lost the further I get! I'll make sure to contact you if I run into any trouble!**

**-Killer-Chan: haha Yep, Claudia is just as dramatic as any girl can get! lol**

**-Kagekitsonegal: I never would mess with a girl with 2 strong older brothers! (but I would probably go mess around WITH those handsome older brothers...:3)**

* * *

**Chapter 5:His Last Words**

Touring the Auditore house actually took a long time. Actually, it probably wouldn't have taken that long, but I kept getting distracted with fancy gizmos and even some of the paintings that were up on the hall walls. Even with my wondering, childish eyes, Federico didn't rush me. He let me touch all of the fancy decorations throughout the house, watched me with a grin when I had to stop by every flower pot to smell the petals, and laughed warmly when my fingers would unintentionally run over every silky curtain we passed.

I liked Federico's smile, and I adored his laugh. They didn't mock me in the way his younger brother taunts did. He made me feel welcome and warm,like I didn't need to know anything about my past what-so-ever. Guiding me with caring hands, Federico seemed to lead me to a place where I truly did belong, no matter what my past revealed.

The tour ended after about three hours, and it was getting late, almost dinner time. The last room we visited was a small room with a chess board set near the curtain laced window, and a chair-table set snuggled into one of the corners.

"This is our get-together room," Federico explained. "Mother usually sits in her chair over there while Ezio and I challenge each other to a game of chess."

I sighed. "What, _another_ family room? This is like the fifth one," I pointed out.

Federico laughed, making me smile. "Family means a lot to us Auditores." My smile slowly fell, and I felt my shoulders slump in sadness.

"I wish," I whispered looking down at my feet, "that I could remember my family."

"You will someday," Federico promised. "I'll help in anyway I can." I smiled at him. "And in the meantime, you're always welcome to be a part of our family."

"Really?" I asked in excitement. I then laughed lightly, brushing my hair out of my eyes. "I'd really like that."

Federico smiled at me charmingly, his brown eyes softening. I couldn't help but smile warmly back at him, and I felt myself beginning to get lost in his dark eyes.

All too soon, he looked away from me.

"Do you want to play a game of chess?" He asked, gesturing towards the table.

"Against you?" I looked at him with a half smirk. "You'll kick my ass."

He winked at me. "I'll go easy on you." He reached for my hand and led me towards the table, sitting me down in one of the chairs.

"I'm not even sure that I know how to play," I admitted as he sat himself on the other side of the table.

Leaning back in his chair, he lifted one of his legs, resting his right foot on his left knee in a relaxed pose. "I'll teach you," he offered. "Once I'm done with you, you'll be the best chess player in all of _Italia_!"

I glanced down at the checkered board, observing all the little figurines that were placed strategically across the board. "I'll admit, I'm not a fast learner," I said. "Are you sure you're willing to do this for me?"

Federico threw me one of his warm smiles that I loved. "I'm willing to do anything for you."

I was surprised to hear his words, and I couldn't help but hear the way he made it sound like it was a confession. I grinned at him, feeling the heat in my cheeks. "Thanks." I let the magic between us sit for a moment—we just stared at each other for a moment, and then I looked down to the board. "So, how do I play this game?"

"It's simply, really," Federico started.

His explanation was brief, yet very informing. Whenever I wasn't sure what I was doing, though, he would take a hold of my hand and guide me to what figure I should use and where I should put it. I liked the way he would pretend he wasn't doing it to be flirty and the way his would lick his lips to hide his smile whenever I pouted to show my confusion. After I had learned the basics, we started to play an actual game. Taking some sacrifices to help me through the game, Federico let me win.

"Let's play again," I suggested, "only this time, don't help me or go easy on me!"

"Fine by me," Federico agreed. "You're catching on pretty quick—I wouldn't be surprised if you actually did beat me."

I laughed. "You give me too much credit." I took a hold of a pawn in my forefinger and my thumb to start the game.

There was suddenly loud banging noises coming from down the hall. With the door open, the loud thuds echoed in the room.

"The front door?" Federico asked in confusion. He stood from his chair. Standing as well, I followed him to the door and looked down the halls with him. The loud knocks were getting louder. "I wonder what's going on," Federico whispered. I swallowed back the sudden fear that lumped in my throat. The horrifying feeling of dread swallowed me whole, and I felt myself tremble as a roll of nausea swept over me.

Suddenly, there was yelling. "Where is Giovanni!" The voices were exclaiming. "Find all of them—don't hesitate to beat if they resist!"

Federico turned to me quickly, and without an explanation, he grabbed my hand and took off running down the hall away from the front door. He ran into another room, which I learned from the tour, was his room. He closed the door behind us quickly, casting the room into darkness except for the light from the window and he began searching around the room.

"What's going on?" I asked, getting scared from watching him pace about so frantically.

"It's the guards," Federico whispered, kneeling down to reach under his bed, flinging up the covers. He pulled out a large box and he pushed it to the corner.

I shivered. "That doesn't explain much."

"I don't know what they want," he admitted, reaching under the bed again. "But they're not here for a friendly visit, I know that."

I walked up to him as he pulled out another small box, pushing it to the corner of the room with the other box. "What are you doing then?"

Federico looked up at me, a strange glimmer in his eyes. "I'm going to hide you," he whispered.

"What?" I was shocked. "Wha—why?"

"Narina," he said in a rush, "the only reason that they'd break into our house yelling to find us and to beat down all resistance is to _arrest_ my father and I." He stood up and went back to the boxes he had pushed to the corner, setting them in a way that made it seem that they were there for a reason.

"Why are they arresting you?" I asked frantically. "For the fight the other day?"

"I don't know, Narina," Federico replied in obvious angst. He turned towards me, taking a hold of my shoulders.

And he just stared into my eyes for a moment.

I felt an overwhelming sensation of loss, and I felt tears fill my eyes. "Don't do this," I whispered. "Hide with me instead of letting them take you away."

He shook his head solemnly. "If they don't find me, they'll only search more, and then they might find you." He raised his hand slowly to brush against my cheek, and I leaned into his touch.

I bit at my lips, staring up into his eyes. "Please," I murmered "Don't leave me, Federico"

Stopping and giving me a long look, he reached behind his head and shuffled with something before reaching out back forward and dropping something into my shaking hands. I looked down and saw in the glimmer of light that it was a silver chain with a round charm twisted upon it. I looked back up at him in confusion. In the little light that came from the window, I only saw his eyes lightly shimmer. Then I felt the stubble on his upper lip brush against mine, before his soft lips pressed into mine. I didn't even have a chance to respond to the kiss before he pushed me away.

"_Non ti lascero mai__." _And with that, I was being pushed onto the floor and under the bed that Federico had just cleared out. Before I could say anything, the covers were dropped and the light pouring through the now opened door was spilled onto the floor.

And just like that, Federico was gone.

I didn't hear anything through my muffled sobs. I clamped the necklace Federico had given me in my fist, which I was holding to my lips to soften my cries. I wasn't sure why I was crying—it was just that such a vigorous emotion was stabbing so painfully into me, and I couldn't even figure out what it was. It wasn't just sadness. It was something so much more, something that I couldn't even comprehend.

When my sobs stopped, there wasn't a sound to be heard in the Auditore house. I closed my eyes and strained my ears to pick up something, but nothing was there.

I opened my eyes in shock. _What of Maria, Claudia and Petruccio? What of Ezio? _I waited a few more moments to make sure that the coast was clear, then I crawled out from under the bed and stood slowly. Before I walked out the door, I took each end of Federico's necklace and lifted them around my neck, clasping them together. The round, flat charm thudded against my collar-bone as I ran down the halls, looking for any sign of the family.

Before I could make it to the stairs, I had ran into Annetta.

"_Signorina_ Narina!" She exclaimed as she saw me. "You're safe! Thank goodness!"

"What's happened?" I asked quickly taking a hold of the woman's hands. "Where is everyone else?"

"_Signora _Maria and _Signorina_ Claudia are hiding downstairs," Annetta explained hatefully. "They took _Signore_ Giovanni and his son's as well!"

My eyes widened. "Even Petruccio as well?" I whispered in shock.

Annetta nodded. "Sir Ezio was the only one who wasn't taken— he isn't home."

My stomach felt tight and strained. "What have they taken them away for?"

"They didn't say," Annetta said sadly. "When they resisted, they... they beat up Giovanni and Federico and took them to the _Palazzo della Signora_."

"They were _beaten?_" I asked in horror, and I unintentionally grasped at the necklace around my neck, praying that Federico was alright.

There was a sudden noise from downstairs, and Annetta and I flinched and turned quickly towards the general direction.

"That might be them again," Annetta whispered in a rush. "They might have came back to see if _Ser_ Ezio is here, for they were looking for him as well." She gasped suddenly. "_Signora_ Maria and Claudia are down there!"

In a rush we both ran towards the stairs quietly. As we looked over the railing, there was a man standing in the dim light, his back facing us as he searched the room quietly. I imagined a group of guards ganging up on Giovanni and Federico, and worst of all, poor little Petruccio. I felt a hot stab of anger as I stared at the man wandering around in the lower room, and I went towards the stairs.

"Miss Narina, what are you doing?" Annetta asked in shock as I passed her.

"Shh," I whispered, then started to descend the stairs quietly, watching the man quietly to make sure he didn't turn around and see me. On the last third or second step, I stopped and judged my distance from the man.

When he started to turn around towards me, I threw myself at him and jumped onto the man's torso, beating my fist into his back as I pulled at his long hair. "_Bastardo!_" I screamed. "_Bastardo!_"

"_Mio Dio_, Narina!" The man yelled at me, pushing me away.

"Ezio?" I whispered, finally stopping my punches.

As I stared into his brown eyes, I realized that I was in an odd position, my legs wrapped around his waist obscenely and one of my hands twisted into his hair and the other spread out along his back. When I also realized that his hands were now cupping around my butt as if to hold me up, I scrambled and pushed to get away from him.

_"Ser_ Ezio!" Annetta cried, running down the stairs. "You're alright!"

Ezio rubbed at his head. "Not after this lady jumped on me," he remarked, pointing towards me.

I knocked away his hand. "Ezio," I started solemnly. "Now is not the time for flirtations."

Ezio looked at Annetta. "What's happened? Where are they others?"

Annetta explained again the situation to Ezio, me throwing in my parts as well.

"What of my Mother and Claudia?" Ezio wondered after we were done telling the story.

"Ezio!" We all turned towards a covered area in the room, and Claudia stood in front of it.

"Claudia!" Ezio raced up to her and gave her a hug. "Are you alright?" He asked, backing away from her.

"_Si_, I am fine," Claudia admitted. "But Mother..."

I gasped at the thought of Maria being hurt and rushed to the hiding spot Maria had came from. Sitting in a chair behind a covered area, Maria sat, staring at absolutely nothing.

"She's in shock," Annetta claimed. "When she tried to resist, they..." The maid trailed off.

I took a hold of Maria's hands and tried to catch her eye, but even when I did, there was nothing reflecting inside of them. Her hands where lightly shaking in mine, and I was worried about her health.

"It's not safe here," Ezio declared, turning towards Annetta. "Is there someplace safe where you can take them?"

"Yes," Annetta whispered, then again with more vigor. "Yes! To my sister's!"

"Good. Do that." As Claudia ran to Annetta for a hug, I stood up from my knelt position, dropping Maria's hands. "In the meantime," Ezio continued, "I'll go see my father."

"Be careful, _messer_ Ezio. The guards were looking for you as well."

Ezio nodded to the maid, hugged Claudia one more time, and then hustled out the door. I stared after him for a moment, ignoring Annetta's words as she tried to get me to gather what I needed to leave. My right hand moved to my neck, and I gripped onto the necklace in my fist tightly, closing my eyes.

Federico...

I ran out the door. "Ezio, wait!" The man had only gotten to the gate, and he stopped to look back at me. It had gotten dark in Florence, and the only few lights were the torches that were lit throughout the streets. The stars were bright over head, and only half of the moon was left.

"What is it?" He asked, giving me a hard look as I ran up to him.

"I'm going too."

"No your not," he declared. "It's too dangerous—go to Annetta's sister's with the others."

"But I..." I started to object, but then held my tongue fast. I looked up at the man defiantly. "I'm going."

"Narina," Ezio tried to reason, reaching out and taking a hold of my shoulder. "If you're seen with me, you could be hurt."

I pushed away his shoulder, slapping at his arm. "I don't care—I'm going!" I claimed loudly. "I'm not going to simply sit by and watch as your family is killed!"

"They're _not _going to be killed!" Ezio yelled back, then flinched noticeably when the sound of approaching footsteps were heard. He groaned in exasperation, reached out and took a hold of my wrist, dragging me towards him. Instead of throwing me over his shoulder, he perched me onto his back so that my arms could wrap around his shoulders and my legs around his waist.

"Hold on," he said to me before launching himself towards the wall of a nearby building, lifting himself up the wall. I was once again momentarily mesmerized by his amazing strength to lift us both up the wall, but I was in no mood to praise him. I smelt death on the air, and I think I knew just who it was for. I mentally made a note of the metal circle that rested against my collar-bone, and I felt a moment of panic.

Ezio carried me a long way, running over the roof tops, jumping across the space between the buildings. We didn't say a thing the whole time we were running, even when the _Palazzo_ came into view. However, as we got closer, Ezio slowed to a stop.

He dropped me, and luckily I was quick enough to catch myself before I landed on my backside.

"Stay here," he told me gruffly.

I shook my head. "No, I need to go too."

"No," Ezio said again, slowly. "You don't."

"Ezio," I objected, taking a step towards him. The dim light that we had from the moon must have caught on the necklace and it brought Ezio's attention to my neck. As soon as I noticed that he was staring at it, I lost all sense of my words and my strength. I felt my worry tremble my body.

"Then stay here for him," Ezio whispered, and I looked up at him slowly.

"But I-"

"Up on the tower is a restricted area—even though I could carry you up there with me, I couldn't do it without being caught," Ezio explained. "They wouldn't even hesitate to kill us."

I was shaking my head as if to protest, but I think we both knew that it was my surrender. Ezio reached out as if to pat my head as he normally did, but then he stopped and drew his hand back. He simply nodded to me before turning and running towards the _Palazzo_.

And that hurt a lot—to watch him think twice about even patting me. More than it really should have.

I sighed, and with a thud, I fell and sat down on the faded red tiled roof, staring up at the darkening sky. I couldn't bring myself to watch Ezio climb the Tower and talk to his father, for I feared for the worst, so I turned my back towards the Prison and watched the still busy _Firenze_ streets.

Idly, my fingers unintentionally twiddled with the necklace charm, and my thoughts wondered to Federico If he were to be hurt, then I could never forgive myself for letting him walk out of his room. If the situation were to get to the worst, which I felt it was, I would...I would...

I couldn't even think about it.

* * *

After a few minutes, I heard footfall on the roof, and I looked quickly to watch the approacher. Ezio was hastily walking towards me.

"Let's go," he said, taking a hold of my arm to lift me off of the roof and onto his back. "Before the guards see us."

"What did your Father say?" I asked over his shoulder as we bounded across the roof-top.

Ezio tensed as he came to the edge of the roof, and he jumped down to the ground with a loud groan. "He didn't explain himself," Ezio breathed. "He said a lot of things, but I'm not even sure what's going on anymore." He started to run down the streets now, keeping me perched upon his back.

"So where are we going now?"

"Back to the house—father has something there for me to deliver."

My mind abruptly went to the Assassin's and their Creed that I so oddly knew. An image of a man dressed in white clothing appeared in my mind, but as soon as I tried to grasp onto the source of the knowledge that was breaching from the darkness, I lost a hold of it.

"He's having you do a delivery while he, Federico, and Petruccio are in prison?" I asked in an astonished voice.

Ezio turned around the corner of a building. "The delivery is for their hearing tomorrow," he replied. "I have to deliver it to Uberto Alberti."

The name made my brow furrow. I didn't trust this man, despite never even meeting him let alone not even knowing who he was.

"How is he to help?" I asked sharply.

Ezio threw me a look, a small pout dragging down his lips. "My Father has placed his trust in this man-so I will as well."

I remembered my specific worry earlier that morning, and I let out a jagged sigh. "I don't think this is such a good idea," I whispered, letting my head fall onto Ezio's shoulder. I clamped my eyes tightly against his clothes. "I have a bad feeling, like someone is going to die." I took a deep breath. "Ezio, if Federico dies, I...I wouldn't know what to do. I would feel like it was my fault if _any_ of them died-especially Giovanni."

Ezio was silent for a moment. "Why would you feel to be the one to blame?"

I shook my head, nuzzling into his shoulder. "I just...I feel like that I should know what's going to happen, but I can't reach it." I felt a sudden push of tears, and I clamped my eyes tighter. "_Ho paura__,_ Ezio."

After a moment, Ezio had slowed down to a walk and he didn't respond to my statement. I squeezed onto him harder, as if I was afraid that I could lose him. He was suddenly taking a hold of my hands and uncrossing them from his chest, taking me down from his back. In a blur, he stood me down in front of him, and he kept his hands on my shoulders. He caught my eye and made me focus on him and blink my tears away before he started talking.

"Narina," he whispered, his brown eyes filled with concern and comfort. "Everything will be okay-if we do this tonight together, then everything will be fine. My Father and my brothers will be fine." He paused, and I noticed that his grip tightened ever so slightly. "Federico will be fine."

I looked away from his stare, bowing my head down. I tried to let Ezio's calming voice put rest to my stressing assumptions, and it worked, but only a bit. I still felt dread and a small roll of nausea wavered in my tummy. Ezio let go of my shoulders, and I followed him silently through _Firenze_.

When we got back to the house, Ezio held up his hand, gesturing for me to wait. While I waited outside of the house gate, he slowly looked within the front door, looking to see if there were any guards within waiting. He waved me to follow him into the house when the coast was obviously clear.

"He told me there was a secret door in his office," Ezio explained once we were inside. The house was dark, all the candles were blown out. The house was quiet and it almost seemed dead. I didn't like it at all.

I followed close behind Ezio as he led me through the Auditore villa to his Father's office. He walked into the room dramatically, swinging open the door quickly. "Help me look for this secret door, Narina, would you?" He started to press his hands against the walls as if looking for a switch.

"He didn't tell you where it was?" I started to look around the room as well, looking between the bookcases carefully.

"No." Ezio grunted as he took a hold of an armful of books from the shelves and he threw them on the ground with a loud thud. I was about to retort against his methods, but he continued saying "He only told me to use my talents to find it, although I'm not exactly sure what he meant by that."

I paused, realizing just what talents Giovanni meant for Ezio to use. "Eagle Vision," I whispered, quickly turning away from my bookshelf. "Use eagle vision-that's what your father meant."

Ezio looked back at me slowly, staring into my eyes as if to search for answers for his unspoken questions. "How do you...know about that?" He asked quietly, facing me fully now, approaching slowly.

I gave him a 'so what' look and said "Does it matter? Just use it."

"Narina," Ezio said again, this time more exasperated. I avoided his probing gaze, and I realized that I probably just said something that I shouldn't have said. "What are you hiding from me?"

I slowly shook my head. "I'm not hiding it from you, Ezio. I just...simply can't _find_ it," I explained slowly, keeping my eyes away from his. "It's there, but I can't reach it."Ezio took a step closer to me, and I fought the urge to retreat back. I closed my eyes, thinking he was about to demand for answers, but he suddenly swept past me. Shocked, I looked to where he was walking.

Now behind Giovanni's desk, Ezio stood before the rounded output behind the desk, and he raised his hands to the wall, pressing two squares on the embellished designs. With a loud 'clunk' and then scraping noises, the wall before Ezio was lowered down into the ground, and a whole other room was revealed. Light poured out onto the office.

"_Ma che_," I whispered in awe as the stone slabs that had once covered the door were locked in place beneath the floor now. Ezio took a step into the room, and I followed him eagerly. Inside, there were absolutely no windows, only red and white tapestries hanging from the walls. In this room, there was bookshelves as well, two to my right and one to the left which was next to a small chair and a small desk with papers scattered about it. The walls were painted in red designs, and two candle stands at the end of the room lit up the whole secret, shedding new light upon both of Ezio's and my mind. Between those candle stands was a chest.

As I wandered aimlessly by the bookshelves, glancing at all the worn titles, Ezio immediately went to the dark chest, kneeling down and lifting the heavy top. In my peripheral, I noticed he stood up with a white flash hanging in his grasp.

I turned to look at him fully, seeing the outfit he held out in front of him from under his raised arms.

And when I took in the whole picture, my heart stopped and my breath lodged in my throat, creating an strangled noise.

As I gasped to be able to start breathing again, Ezio turned quickly to take in my shocked expression.

He didn't ask anything, but I saw the questions in his eyes.

I cleared my throat after a moment. "Well," I whispered, vaguely realizing that this all seemed very familiar. "Put it on."

Ezio hesitated, but he held out the outfit to me. I thought for a moment that he wasn't going to put it on, but when I had the white, heavy, clothes in my grasp, he proceeded to undo the ties on his vest, and he pulled that over his head.

Realizing that he was undressing, I quickly adverted my gaze back to the book titles, folding the white clothes over my arms. Although I made it look as though I was reading the titles on the books, I really had so much on my mind. There were so many faces flashing in my mind at the moment, I couldn't really keep track on what exactly I was doing anymore. The flashing faces stopped on Giovanni's for a moment, and a sudden spark of knowledge told me that these were his Assassin's robes, and he was passing it onto his son now. Only, that son was originally suppose to be...

"Narina."

I turned and looked at Ezio, who was only wearing his pants and the necklace around his neck-his old clothing was discarded in a pile next to the chest.

"So attractive," I mumbled sarcasticly, although Ezio's half-naked body was more than pleasing to the eye. I walked up to him and handed him the heavy outfit. "I feel bad for you, you have to wear this heavy-ass stuff."

"I'll get over it," Ezio replied tautly, and I could tell that he was in no mood to hear my teasing. I watched him silently as he slipped on the outfit, letting it hang past his knees.

"Here, let me help you," I offered nicely when he started to hook the straps together and tie the knots of his pouches tighter. In a silence, we managed to get the whole outfit together, and as soon as I was done strapping on the sheath for his sword on his left side, he bent over the box again to grab the long sword. He sheathed it quickly, and adjusted the weight onto his hips.

I watched his face for a moment, before I reached up around his head, leaning my arms along his shoulders. He looked down at me in shock, our faces nearly four inches apart from each other. Not wanting to give him the wrong idea, I finally found what I was looking for and grabbed onto it.

Pulling his hood up on his head as I backed away from him, I realized that Ezio did indeed look like an Assassin now. The hood cast a dark shadow over Ezio's face, and in the dim candlelight, I could no longer see his eyes for they were lost in the shadows.

Without a word, he gave me another long stare before he turned back to the chest. He now pulled out what seemed like a broken contraption that went with a blade. He also pulled out a letter.

"We need to take this to Uberto," Ezio explained, standing up from the chest. He turned to me, gazing at me from under his hood, only his square, set jaw peeping out with that scarred lip of his. "Let's go."

* * *

It only took us a moment to get to Uberto's house-Ezio took us on the roof-top route.

"This the place?" I asked as he let me drop from his back. We were stopped in front of a tall building with a big decorated door.

Ezio looked at the letter, hesitating, his breaths heavy and jagged. "_Si_... it is." He gave me a look, lowering his hood, exposing his face in the light moonlight. Then he turned towards the door and knocked on the wood surface. When no one answered, he knocked again rapidly, starting to shuffle on his feet.

In a moment, the door was open, revealing a large man at the door, dressed in fancy clothing. At the sight of him, I felt my face fall into a deep scowl, my eyes narrowing into a dark glare. In an instant, I immediately despised this man, and I resisted the urge to push Ezio aside and reach out for the man to scratch his eyes out.

"Ezio Auditore?" The man said in astonishment. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"It," Ezio breathed. "I don't..."

"Wait child,"the man said, raising both hands as if to calm Ezio down. "Catch your breath, recollect your thoughts." Ezio made an effort to breath. "Now, tell me what has happened."

"My father, " Ezio said in a rush, "the guards came and arrested him. He is in prison now! He told me to bring these to you." Ezio handed Alberto the letter.

Opening it, the man looked over the document quickly and silently. While he was reading the papers, a man dressed in dark robes walked by the door behind Alberto, stopping to gaze at Ezio and I. I couldn't see his face for it was covered in shadows, but I felt a pang of pure hatred as I stared into the darkness covering his face. It was such a raw emotion, that it made my body quiver so violently that my clenched fists shook visibly at my sides.

"Ah," Uberto said slowly. "I see now." He looked up to Ezio with soft eyes, yet I felt there was so much more deception underneath. "It's all a misunderstanding, Ezio."

"Misunderstanding?" Ezio asked helplessly.

"Yes. These documents you've brought me contain evidence of a conspiracy against your family and against the city. I will present these papers at their hearing tomorrow morning, and they will be released."

"_Grazie, Signore!_" Ezio breathed in relief, grasping his hands together.

I finally was able to move. I reached out to grab Ezio's sleeve. When I tugged, he looked back at me. I moved closer to him to whisper into his ear, standing up on my tip-toes. "Ezio, we can't trust this guy." I noticed the dark garbed man behind Uberto was now gone.

"Who is this?" Uberto asked, looking at me. I threw him a dark look, standing back down flat on my feet. I was afraid to speak, despite my broad stance, for I felt the accusations against the man pile from the darkness in my mind.

"A family friend," Ezio replied quickly when he saw that I wasn't going to.

"Do you two need a place to stay?" Uberto asked sincerely, but I couldn't help but glare at him. "You're welcome to stay here for the night."

"No, _grazie_," Ezio answered, taking a hold of my elbow. "I'll see you at the hearing tomorrow morning.

Uberto nodded to him. "Don't worry, Ezio, everything is going to be alright." The man closed the door without another word, and Ezio looked down at me.

"He's the only one that we can depend on Narina," he answered for my earlier remark. "We have to trust him." Ezio started to tow me away by my elbow.

I grunted, pulling at his hold. "Listen, Ezio, if we were being smart, we'd bring the papers to the hearing ourselves so that everyone saw we brought the evidence."

Ezio threw me a look. "It's more convenient this way, Narina."

Anger flashed through me, and I ripped out of Ezio's grip. He looked at me, shocked. "God dammit, Ezio!" I yelled. "You think it's more convinient to send your family to death!"

"They're not going to die!" Ezio yelled back, obviously letting all of his irritation at me these past few hours explode in my face.

I stood firm and shoved my face back into his. "How do you know that? How do you know that Uberto isn't just giving us SHIT!"

"He said everything will be fine!" Ezio exclaimed back. "My Father trusted him, so will I!"

I stared at Ezio in awed horror and muted anger. "You're just going to sit by while your father and brothers are killed?"

Ezio sighed in frustration, rolling his dark eyes. "Narina, I'm not arguing with you over this-you lost your memory, so you have to room to talk."

UGH! I was so pissed at him! "Listen, Ezio...!" I started, but he held up a hand to my lips to stop me.

"We're done," he whispered, narrowing his eyes as if to warn me.

I pouted under the feel of his fingers and turned away from him. Although Ezio couldn't see it, I knew something bad was going to happen. I reached up and held the necklace Federico had given me, an I recalled that, if my assumptions of their deaths proved to be correct, I had never even gotten a chance to tell Federico, nor his father or youngest brother, goodbye.

* * *

**"N**arina, wake up." I blinked a few times, and when I focused, I realized that Ezio, his white hood casting shadows over his face, was now hovering over me, his hand gripping onto my shoulder and shaking me.

I sat up on my own, rubbing at my eyes while yawning.

"We have to go now," Ezio said, helping me stand up. "The hearing has probably already started-we need to go."

Ezio and I had spent the night in the streets like old rats, but it had been so late by the time we figured out where Annetta's sister's was that we decided to camp out on one of the high roof tops. We spent even more of our midnight time gathering hay for us to sleep on so that we didn't have to sleep too uncomfortably. Since it was near summer time in Florence, there was no need for blankets, so Ezio didn't have an excuse to lay right next to me.

A flurry of hay fell around me as I shook and brushed myself off. Ezio didn't waste anytime to pull me to him and jump off of the building. Once on the ground, we headed towards the _plaza_ where the hearing was to take place.

I took note of the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach and the fleeting images that passed too quickly through my mind for me to grasp what exactly they were displaying.

"I don't like this," I told Ezio. "I have a really, really bad feeling."

Ezio looked down at me, rolling his eyes again. "Narina, everything is fine. I feel like everything will be fine."

"Yeah, ignorance is bliss," I mumbled under my breath, putting a hand to my stomach as if to ease the uncertainty.

"What do you mean by that?" Ezio asked. I realized that Ezio had extreme hearing, and I looked up at him with an annoyed look. We were approaching the hearing, for I heard the crowd shouting and talking. I could see the people crowding through an archway not too far ahead of where Ezio and I were standing.

"Do you even know _why_ your father has been imprisoned?"

"No." He turned towards me more, and I once again felt as though I said something I shouldn't have said. "Do _you_ know?"

I thought that I hadn't and that I was just taunting the guy, but with a sharp pain, I understood that all of this panic was about Giovanni being part of the Assassin's cult, and it was then that I knew that it was all too late.

In a moment, I grasped the truth, and a moment later, I was running towards the crowd, feeling the panic rise so quickly within me. Ezio's calls after me were drowned out by the crowds as I took a step into the plaza

What I saw made me freeze in absolute horror. In front of the crowd in front of me was a large platform, used for the towns hearings obviously, but standing on that platform with ropes tied around their necks were Giovanni, Petruccio and Federico, hands tied behind their backs in preparation to be executed

"No," I whispered, trying to push through the crowd to get closer, but my limbs were shaking so violently that I couldn't muster up the strength to push myself through. But this was it! This was what my mind was so afraid of! And to make matters worse, the two men that Ezio and i had seen last night in the house were standing up on the platform, giving the false accusations against Giovanni.

_I TOLD Ezio that we couldn't trust that bastard!_ I thought angrily, but still not able to stop myself shaking enough to push the crowd out of my way.

"Giovanni Auditore," Uberto yelled out above the crowd. "You and your accomplices stand accused of the crime of treason." The fat man made a step towards the tied trio. "Do you have any evidence to counter these accusations?"

"Yes!" Giovanni exclaimed, struggling in his binds. "The documents that were delivered to _you_ last night!"

Uberto paused, and I wondered if he was about to confess that that was indeed true, but the feeling in my gut told me otherwise. Instead, he turned towards the crowd and said "I'm afraid that I know nothing of these documents you speak of."

"HE'S LIEING!" I heard Ezio's voice from far behind me, and that gave me enough strength to finally shove the people blocking the path. I had to reach that fat bastard so that I could wring that fat neck of his!

"In the absence of any compelling evidence," Uberto continued saying loudly, turning towards the Auditore's again, "I am bound to pronounce you _guilty_, you and your collaborators are hereby sentence to_death_." He finished by pointing towards Giovanni and his sons.

I think it was at that moment that I knew I was too late, that I couldn't stop anything. But I continued to violently push my way through the crowd.

"You are a _traitor_ Uberto-and one of THEM!" Giovanni yelled loudly at the man. Just at that moment, I finally breached through the edge of the crowd and approached the platform.

Panicked, I gripped onto the edge and stared up at the three as Giovanni continued to swear that he would be avenged

"FEDERICO!" I cried, finally feeling the tears in my eyes.

With wide eyes, the eldest Auditore brother looked down at me with fear plaguing his brown eyes. I saw the "N" on his lips as he went to speak my name, when suddenly, the floor beneath them dropped. I was so close that I could hear each of their necks snap. I was so close that I could see Federico's brilliant eyes dull and haze.

And then I knew that he was dead.

I felt the ground beneath me waver, and I found myself in such an intense shock that I could no longer hear the chattering and yelling of the crowd. It was like I had gone deaf, and all time had slowed except for the bubble that I existed in. I looked around at the panic around me, guards running into the courtyard slowly.

I heard laughing. Laughing? Who's laughing at an execution? I looked around rapidly to find the smile, but I could find none, not even on the lips of Uberto or the dark hooded man. The laughs were so familiar, like they were from a distant memory long ago.

Federico's words came back to me, echoing throughout the silence that all else had left.  
'_Non ti lascero mai__.'_

_'_I'll never leave you_.'_


	7. The Hidden Ties

**I'm going to make this Author Note short. AC Brotherhood is kick ass and I loved watching E3. Sorry, this chapter is fucking long-I'm going to learn how to cut down on writing these next few chapters...and it's sort of boring...god I hated this chapter.**

**Thanks for reviewing!:**

**-SporkedGamer: (Between the last time you reviewed and the time I'm writing this now, you have become one of my good, good friends. :3 And I'm actually talking to you right now. haha Thanks for the support and everything!)**

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**-CatKinn: (Ah, I hate it when I cry and get mascara everywhere! Sorry for the mess!)**

**-lighttan117: (I'm sorry. It makes me feel bad. lol Thank you for the support!)**

**-TheSpaceButler: (Thank you so much! I work really hard on flow-it's one of my worst things)**

**-piratekahty: (I know, the girl going back into the back is a little cliched, but I tried to make it as unique as possible so it wasn't like other stories! Thank you!)**

**-Dommy: (Thank you very much! I try my best!)**

* * *

_Chapter 6: The Hidden Ties_

It was only a moment that passed before time started to move normally again. The voices and the sounds all came back slowly, and I found myself at the edge of an oncoming battle. There were guards, too many guards now surrounding Ezio, who, from the looks of it, had advanced towards the platform with his sword drawn.

But there were too many guards for Ezio to handle-at least, as the skill that he was a now! He needed to get out of there, and fast!

However, I couldn't catch his eye, for the guards kept him well out of my sight. While I was desperately trying to search out for the man, I saw the sword that he had held in his hand fly through the air as he obviously had lost hold of it. In a blur, I managed to poke my way between the guards quickly, yelling at Ezio to "get the hell out of here! Run!"

Ezio managed to finally catch my gaze, and when he did, he reached his hand out to grab my arm and pull me towards him. At first I though he was giving me up as the target for the guards, but then he began to run in the opposite direction of the stage.

"What are you doing?"I yelled to him in a panic, struggling to keep up.

We exited the plaza and started running down the streets of _Firenze_, the loud sound of the guards armor clanking together behind us. Ezio didn't reply to my question and simply continued to run. We made a quick right, breaking the guards line of sight. From there, he continued to lead me to another main street where he stopped and turned to me quickly, putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Narina, you need to go that way," he breathed heavily, using a flick of his head to gesture over his shoulder. "Keep running that way until you find a safe place to hide."

"Wait!" I said in a panic. "W-what about you?"

"I'll go this other way to distract the guards so they won't chase you and you can get away."

"No," I stated firmly. "No,no,no no! I'm not leaving you behind!" Without thinking, I threw my arms around Ezio's neck, having to jump up from the ground to embrace him. "I can't lose you, Ezio," I whispered. "Not now..."

Ezio hesitated for a moment before pushing me back, looking me in the face again. His brown eyes were raging with so many emotions that I couldn't even understand what he was trying to tell me. "I'll be fine, Narina, I promise." He was about to say something else when suddenly the guards chasing us emerged from the alley way we had just ran out of.

Ezio pushed me in the direction he told me to go before taking off in his planned direction. I watched him for a split moment before sucking up my fear momentarily and running down the cobblestone streets.

I don't remember how long I ran for. Running wasn't even necessary because nobody was even following me. Maybe I was running from the truth, because it didn't hit me until I slowed down in a narrow alley way, far from were the execution had taken place.

I leaned against the one of the buildings that I was between, and I vacantly looked down at my feet for what seemed like hours. As I slid down slowly against the wall until I was sitting down on the ground, the scene was flashing through my mind uncontrollably. I could still see the three of them falling, I could still see the way the ropes dented into their necks as they reached the end of the slack in the rope. I could still hear their strangled, last breath, and the way their necks broke immediately. When I brought my knees to my chest, I closed my eyes and try to squeeze the memory away, tried to make it disappear, only when I did, I found something just out of the edge of my blackened memories.

I found the knowledge that I could have stopped it all.

It was my fault Giovanni, Petruccio and Federico were dead.

I couldn't hold it back longer-the tears, that is. Within a fine moment, I was hugging my knees tightly, and my sobs were muffled in the embrace, pressed against my knees. My tears were warm against my cheeks, but I felt so cold on the inside.

I could have _stopped it...but..._I _didn't_.

I wasn't going to blame my memory-loss, because I believed that if I had tried hard enough instead of goofing around, I probably could have remember and grasped the knowledge that I had needed to know to stop it...

Not only did I feel bad, but I had lost those who I considered my family now, and I only could imagine how Ezio felt right at that moment, for he had seen just as much as I had. Also, he ignored my only thing that made me feel worse was that Ezio probably wasn't going to cry about it-he was going to bottle it up inside.

And it was all my fault...

...wasn't it?

* * *

By the time I had gotten enough sense in my head to stagger out of my stupor, it was just after mid-day, the sun dangling more towards the west horizon now. My eyes felt puffy and my bottom lip was raw from biting on it so much, but I didn't really care. I walked out onto the _Firenze_ streets, which had calmed considerably from that morning. I walked around the streets slowly, feeling numb and sluggish.

Plenty of unknown faces passed me before I found myself in front of the Auditore Villa, which was now empty, but full of all the memories that I could hold. I stared at the house for a moment.

"Narina?" I turned towards the voice and saw Ezio approaching me, his face darkened by his hood. I remembered that my face was effected from my whole day of crying, so I quickly bowed my head, for I didn't want Ezio to see for some reason. I didn't say anything as he approached me quickly. "Are you okay?" he asked in worry. I found that I couldn't truly answer him, so I kept my head down and my lips sealed. Ezio's hands were placed on my shoulders again. "Narina, did the guards hurt you?"

I shook my head slowly.

Ezio sighed with relief, letting go of my shoulders. "Come on, we need to get off the streets." He turned away from me.

Ever so suddenly, I felt a moment of panic, like he was going to leave me all alone. Without thinking, I reached out for Ezio's sleeve, gripping it with my fingers.

He stopped and looked back at me. "What? What is it?"

I didn't have to say a word. Ezio's face dropped when he looked at me, and he, too, didn't say a thing. He simply pulled me to his chest, wrapping his arms around me tightly. However, i couldn't bring myself to hug him back, so I simply buried my head into the crook under his shoulder.

"I've never seen someone die in front of my eyes before," I whispered into the white garb of Ezio's clothes. "Why'd it have to be Federico?" He didn't respond-probably because there was nothing to say.

Ezio was the first to break the embrace, telling me that we needed to go. Even when he offered me his arm to hold onto, I simply stayed with the action of holding onto his sleeve. For some odd reason, I felt more comfortable that way. I didn't want his comfort, really. I only wanted him to lead me because I wasn't sure anymore.

We made our way back through _Firenze_, heading to the bordello north of the Duomo.

"Annetta told me that her sister will gladly accept us into her home," Ezio explained as we weaved through the crowds, avoiding the guards at all costs. "There I will decide what to do next. We have to get out of Florence."

Although it crossed my mind to ask, I held back my question about whether I was going with them or not. We could talk about it later, anyway.

We arrived at the bordello, Ezio knocking on the door while I let go of him and stood by his side.

He looked down at me. "So, do you feel like _this _is a bad idea?"

I looked up at him to make sure that he was actually asking the question and not just making fun of me. When I realized that he was seriously asking, I was shocked. Was he really asking for my advice now? I shook my head slowly. "No. We'll be fine, I think." I was even doubtful about my own feelings. I felt as though I could no longer trust myself.

Ezio seemed like he disregarded my answer by the way he didn't respond, but I saw the acknowledgment within his eyes.

The door opened, and Annetta stood in front of us.

"_Ser _Ezio!" She said with relief. "Thank God you made it safely!" She looked at me, giving another sigh of relief. "And you even found _Signora_ Narina!"

I kept my gaze away from her as Ezio took a hold of my elbow and led me into the Bordello interior.

Ezio hesitated when we walked into the fancy decorated room, dimly lit as if to set a mood for something, and I could feel his fingers tighten lightly around my arm.

"I uh, think we got the wrong place," Ezio murmured to Annetta.

"No," Annetta said for reassurance. "No, this is it."

I looked up through my eyelashes, watching many courtesans walk through the room, every so many stopping to gaze at Ezio with large smiles and hushed whispers. Much to my dismay, there was even a man sitting on one of the couches in the room, a girl sitting upon his lap, and sucking at his skin. Although it was gross, I was too out of it to really register them, and I adverted my gaze to the woman who was now approaching Ezio and I.

She wore a red dress with bright gold designs sewn into the fabric. She was probably around her mid was very pretty, but something niggled in the back of my mind to watch out-that she was dangerous. I recalled that it was the same feeling that I had with Giovanni, and I idly wondered if this woman, too, was part of the Creed.

She stopped in front of us, looking Ezio up and down. I didn't care enough at the moment to let it bother me. "It is a pleasure to make you acquaintance, _Messer_ Ezio," the woman started, smiling lightly. "Annetta speaks quite highly of you." Another rake of her eyes. "I can see why."

From the corner of my eye, I could see that Ezio's answering smile was charming. "I appreciate the kind words, _Madonna_...?" Ezio trailed off, suggesting to the woman that she'd tell us her name. Or rather_him_. I had the feeling Ezio had totally forgotten that I stood at his side, which gave me the urge to pinch him, but once again, I failed to care even the slightest bit.

"_Ti prego_," the woman said, "call me Paola."

"Thank you, Paola, for offering your home to my family, Paola." Ezio said with a slight bow, knocking his hip into my side, making me take a step to regain my balance. He looked at me apologeticly, but I ignored his look and kept my eyes lowered.

"It was the least I could do," Paola said generously, and then I felt her eyes upon me. "Who is this young lady, Ezio?" I felt as though I wanted to disappear at her question-I didn't want anyone looking at me right now. I felt as though I should have been punished and ignored.

"This is our family friend, Narina," Ezio explained, putting a hand to my shoulder. "She doesn't remember anything about her past." Ezio knocked on his head with his knuckles. "Hit her head pretty hard. She's been living with our family the past couple of days."

"So I've been told." Both Ezio and I looked up to her. She smiled and said "You're probably tired, perhaps you would like to..."

"No, _grazie_," Ezio refused, "but I cannot stay."

"Why?" Paola asked, as if she were ready for this. "Where are you going?"

Ezio looked down at me, and I finally acknowledged his gaze and looked back up to him as well. I nodded slightly, and he turned away from both of us. "To kill Uberto Alberti."

Looking at me, I think Paola understood that this is what I wanted as well-to seek for this man and put him to rest. She turned back to Ezio. "I understand your desire for vengeance, but the _Gonfaloniere_ is a powerful man." Paola stopped for a moment, taking a step towards the young man. "You are not a killer Ezio..."

Ezio was already shaking his head, and waved his hand to cut her off. "Spare me the lecture," he said gruffly, thinking she was about to preach about morals. But I saw within Paola's eyes an ally and a person who would willingly help us. She was no more dangerous to us than Giovanni had, and I finally understood her position.

"Hear her out, Ezio," I said in a whisper to the Auditore. He gave me a long look, looking into my eyes which I bet were still red and still puffy. "We can trust her." But could we trust me? I was slowly starting to get the confidence back in my odd and strange feelings twisting around inside of me.

Paola looked at me with a grateful smile when Ezio sighed, and turned back to the woman. She reached out to touch Ezio's shoulder. "But I can teach you, Ezio."

Ezio was skeptical. "An why are you going to teach me how to kill?" He scoffed, taking a step away from her touch.

"I'm not," Paola said. "I'm going to teach you how to survive." She stopped and looked me as well. "Both of you. Come." She led us through the room and through the back door of the Bordella, walking us out into a small garden area with several groups of courtesans standing inside.

Once she stopped, she looked back at us. "Discretion is paramount in my profession," Paola explained with a light smile. "We must walk the streets freely: seen, but unseen. You must also learn how to blend you two. For your own protection. You must learn to become one with the cities crowds." Paola gestured to the courtesans around us, and they all started to crowd around us-well, _Ezio_ actually. I managed to click out of my blankness for a moment to dodge them, and found myself next to Paola, who was smirking at me.

I shook my head at her. "That was a close one," I told her in a whisper.

Paola laughed lightly. "Ezio is seeming to enjoy it." I looked over to the young man, who was smiling like a madman as the young ladies surrounded him, saying many flirtations to him.

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Yeah, he would."

Paola looked at me for a moment. "You do not seem as upset as I thought you would."

I looked at her, twisting my face up into confusion. "What do you mean?" Couldn't she see that I was a wreck? Couldn't she see my puffy, red eyes? Didn't I _look_ upset? Because I was. I was mad at myself, I was mad at the world at the moment.

Paola gestured towards Ezio again, making me look at him. "My sources tell me that you have been with him these past few days-climbing roofs together while he gave you lifts upon his back."

I wanted to groan in frustration when I realized what she was getting at. "It's not like that," I told her with a small huff, becoming more angry and upset.

Paola smiled at me like she had a secret. "Are you sure?"

I threw her a look, having to look up at her. "Yes, I'm sure. Ezio and I were never like that. It was always..." I trailed off, picturing the face of Ezio's eldest brother. My hand found it's way to tighten around the necklace that still laid against my skin.

Paola must have seen my discomfort, because she let the subject drop and instead of pushing me further, she beckoned to Ezio to follow her. "Let's see how well you can blend without getting caught by the guards." She turned towards me. "Come as well, Narina. This is a skill you will most certainly use later on."

I wasn't even sure if Ezio was going to take me with him on his 'adventure', but I decided to humor her, anyways, because I wasn't in the mood to stand around with the scantily dressed women.

"Remember," Paola told us again before we left from under the archways leading into the garden. "Hide among the crowds."

Paola started to walk down the street ahead of us. Ezio glanced down to me, reaching up and bringing his hood back over his face.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess," I mumbled, brushing past him to stand next to a group of men, who gave me an odd look. I smiled at them sweetly, brushing past them to continue to follow Paola. I was going to look back for Ezio, but he passed me quietly, making sure to bump into my arm. I decided that he was trying to egg on a race-a race that I wasn't in any mood for. So I ignored him. I was sure the guards weren't even looking for _me_, but Paola was right. If I were to travel with Ezio these next couple of years, I would have to know how to become hidden.

* * *

We managed to walk around the Bordello without getting caught by the guards.

"_Bene_!" Paola praised. "Now that you've learned to blend, I'll show you how to use it for more than just moving. Let's teach you how to steal."

"I'm out," I said before Paola could continue. "I bet it's nice to have money, but my standards won't allow me to take money from other people." Ezio shrugged at me, telling me in his way that I was missing out. I once again ignored him and stood under the shade of the garden roof above us. Paola nodded to me and began to tell Ezio the basics of stealing from people and how to make it look like an accidental bump.

"Once you steal from someone, Ezio, you mustn't linger! Use your blending techniques to get away without suspicion." Paola gestured out to the streets again. "Go, and use your new ability to your advantage. Don't get caught by the guards now." Ezio eagerly left for the streets like a puppy, bounding across the stone road.

I stared after him silently and Paola walked up next to me.

"May I ask you something-and don't be offended please."

I gave her a cautious look, then I looked back to the ground. "Sure, go ahead."

"My girls tell me they saw you go to the bank the other day to speak with Giovanni."

I felt very defiled suddenly, realizing that people had been spying on me the whole time I've been here in Florence. "So I take it that you're part of the Creed as well, then?" I asked, disregarding her earlier statement.

Paola grinned, but I saw the surprise in her eyes. "You can tell?"

I tried to smile back at her, but failed miserably. "I don't know why, but I can spot you Assassin's out like you were a sore thumb."

" 'You assassin's?'" Paola repeated my phrase. "You look much too innocent to be a Templar, my dear child, but you use that phrase so distastefully," Paola commented, still smiling.

I shrugged. "Giovanni told me that, too, but I'm not so sure anymore. I can't remember anything, so I'm not sure."

Paola touched my cheek suddenly, forcing me to look up at her. Her dark eyes gleamed brightly. "You're not, trust me. _I _can spot Templars out from a mile away, child, and you are not one of them. And even if you were, although you have lost your memory, you wouldn't have allowed yourself to get so attached to the Auditores."

Which reminded me-half of them were dead now. And it was partially my fault. I felt the sadness kick in again, and Paola dropped her hand from my face to my shoulder. But once again, I didn't want the comfort. I wanted to be strong, so that I might be able to use this odd and unique power that I had. So I dodged out from under her hand, and walked over to the other side of the garden to lean against the Bordella.

Ezio returned not too longer after that, showing Paola all of the money that he had retrieved from the people walking the Firenze streets. Paola praised him yet again, then told her "girls" that they could leave now.

"Do we have to?" One whined, and the urge to punch them finally hit me.

Ezio just grinned at them, and I had the sudden urge to punch him instead of the girls.

"Now that you know how to approach your enemy openly, Ezio, it's time to find you a weapon."

Ezio turned his attention to Paola, tearing his eyes from the fleeing courtesans' backsides. He frowned, getting serious. "And what would you have me use, exactly?"

The woman laughed lightly under her breath. "I think you already have the answer to that, Ezio." She held out the broken arm bracer that Ezio had taken out of the chest back at the Villa. I couldn't imagine how she had gotten it, and I could see that Ezio was puzzled as well.

"My father's blade and bracer! How did you-?"

"By the same techniques that I just taught you," Paola cut him off, grinning widely. Ezio reached out and took the bracer from her hands.

"It's not exactly in working condition," Ezio mumbled, looking at the broken contraption in his hands.

"You've hear of Leonardo Da Vinci, no?" Paola asked.

The name reminded me that I truly looked up to the man, and that sort of put me in a better mood.

"_Si_." Ezio hesitated, giving Paola a long look. "But where does a painter come into the picture?"

Paola chuckled, turning her head away as if to hide her smile. "He is far more than a painter, Ezio. Bring him the pieces, and you'll see." Paola took hold of Ezio's hands, telling him to blend in with the crowds on his way to Leonardo's. She turned to me. "Are you leaving as well, Narina?"

I pushed myself off the wall, walking up to Ezio. "_Si_." Paola nodded to both of us, walking into the bordella.

Ezio led me down the street a ways, hiding among the crowds, before I told him "I told you Leonardo wasn't just a painter."

Ezio looked down at me from under his hood for a long moment, and I was surprised to see the thankful twinkle in his eye. It took me the rest of the way to Leonardo's house to figure out that Ezio was glad that I wasn't rubbing in the fact that my anticipation of his family's death, which he had scoffed at, had came true.

* * *

As we managed to get to Leonardo's door, Ezio reached up to lower his hood. He knocked on the door twice before inviting himself in, walking into the studio. I followed closely behind, the feeling of anticipation setting in. When we walked to the bottom of the steps that led down into the studio, Leonardo appeared from his workshop.

He stopped in surprise at the sight of us. "Ezio? Narina?" He blinked as if to shake away the shock. "I-I wasn't expecting to see you again, after all that has happened with the..." My eyes lowered, and Leonardo had trailed off at the sight of my discomfort. "Ah, were are my manners! It's good to see you two again!" Leonardo threw a hug onto Ezio at first, and then hugged me into him as well, which was odd, considering that I only had met the guy once before.

"Now, what are you two doing here?"

Ezio held out the bracer. "I was wondering if you could fix this for me?"

Leonardo was excited, and it made me smile lightly. "Of course, of course! Come, this way." He led us over to a table, of which he looked down upon with a certain disgust. "_Ah, che pasticcio...Tutto il santo giorno che cerco..._Let me clear a space_._" He murmered, moving away all of the papers that covered the surface. "Alright, set it down here, Ezio."

As Ezio placed the bracer down on the table and Leonardo looked at it, I began to wonder around the studio, gazing at all of the weird items Leonardo had, studying his art supplies that were strewn all about the room.

Leonardo sighed. "I don't know, Ezio. Despite it's age, the construction is rather advanced. I've never seen anything quite like it..." Leonardo sighed again. "I'm afraid that there is nothing that I can do without the original plans. _Mi dispiace_."

I turned to look at the two, and saw that Ezio was giving me an exasperated look. I shrugged, pursing my lips, saying that we'd have to find another way. Ezio went to grab for the bracer, but Leonardo suddenly pushed away Ezio's reaching hand.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Leonardo moved aside the bracer and the blade, revealing a scroll that was hidden under the bracer. He opened up the scroll and lay it out onto the table, bending over to look at it.

"What are you doing?" Ezio asked in confusion as I walked back towards the table.

"The contents of this page are encrypted!" Leonardo explained. "But if my theory is correct...based on these sketches, it may very well..." He faded off, looking between the book that he had opened up for a reference and the scroll that was with the bracer.

Ezio became impatient. "It may very well what?"

Leonardo only looked up to him for a moment. "Please," he said, gesturing towards the seat in front of the desk. "Sit."

Ezio wasn't about to give up. "Leonardo!" He asked, exasperated.

"Shh," Leonardo said, keeping his eyes on the scroll. I smiled, seeing that once Leonardo was started on one of his passions, nothing was going to stop him. Ezio sighed, and walked around the desk, to sit in the chair. I smirked at him as he plopped into the chair with a sigh, and he looked up to me. He smiled back at me, and, strangely enough, he reached out and took my hand into his. I thought for a moment that he was going to pull me towards him, but he just held it in his hand.

I looked at him for a moment while Leonardo went on about how fascinating the code was. Ezio looked at me solemnly. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you," he murmured slowly, squeezing onto my hand. "I should have listened to you."

His words caught me off guard, and I felt an unexpected wave of tears in my eyes. I pressed my lips together to stop them from quivering, but Ezio saw it. He stared sadly into my eyes, pulling me closer to him so that I was standing next to him. From there, he reached up and cupped my face. Realization that I did want a little comfort hit me, and I leaned into his touch ever so slightly.

Then I pulled away, shaking my head at him, telling him that it didn't matter anymore. "You should get some rest," I told him, keeping my gaze away. "I know that you didn't sleep well last night."

After a few minutes, Ezio had fallen asleep, and after an hour or so, Leonardo finished decoding the scroll, and proceeded to take the bracer and blade back into his workshop, leaving me alone to wonder around the studio, looking at all the books on the shelves. Within a few moments, Leonardo came back out of his workshop and asked me to come help him out for a bit.

Before we walked back into the workshop, Leonardo paused to look at Ezio. "He was tired, huh?"

I looked at Ezio too. "Yeah." I hesitated. "This whole thing probably has more of an effect on him than it did on me, yet he has no way to express it." I looked down, feeling guilty again. "He has to hold it inside. I can't help but feel bad."

Leonardo took a hold of my shoulder, leading me back into his work shop. "Narina," he said quietly. "Have you heard of the saying that all bad things happen for a reason?"

I nodded. "Yes, but no wise word is going to stop the bleeding," I said without thinking, then paused to realize that the words had just spilled unintentionally out of my mouth.

"Touche," Leonardo allowed with a grin, wagging his finger at me. "But think about it Narina-we're all here for a reason. That reason is just what most people are figuring out."

I was shaking my head before he finished. "But I feel so _out_ of place, like I don't belong here."

Leonardo smirked. "But you _are_ here." With that, Leonardo put the bracer and blade on the table, spreading out the paper that he had just deciphered.

It took us a good three more hours to get the brace in working condition-well, it took Leonardo that long. I just sat there in his way the whole time, pondering on the whole reason why I was even there. Leonardo was surely one to get you thinking, which gave me another reason to admire him even more. Before we left the workshop, Leonardo stopped and drew closer to the paper again.

"Amazing!' He exalted. "It says here that the older version of this blade use to require the sacrifice of ones ring finger in order to actually use the blade!"

"Sort of like a commitment, then? Kind of like getting married," I noted, realizing that it was the ring finger even. I looked at the door leading out into the studio, and I smiled lightly. "Hey, Leonardo, let's have some fun and play a joke on Ezio with the whole 'sacrifice ring finger' thing."

Leonardo laughed. "Of course, of course." He gathered the bracer. "Go wake him up for me, will you?"

I exited the workshop and approached the sleeping Ezio in the chair, his dark head bowed against his chest.

I stopped in from of him, and squatted down so that I could look up at his sleeping face. I had never seen him sleep before, and he looked so innocent and content, his face soft and warm instead of mischievous. I didn't want to wake him up, but Leonardo was now exiting out of the workshop, so I reached out and gave Ezio's shoulder a few shakes.

"Ezio, wake up. C'mon!"

Ezio blinked a few times, lifted his head slowly,as if he forgot where he had been. It took him a moment to focus on me, his brown eyes hazed over with sleep, but when he did, he lightly smirked, and the mischievousness returned.

"Hey, Narina," he murmured, reaching out to ruffle my hair. I nearly dodged him, but his fingers ended up getting weaved into my hair.

"Hey, Ezio," I said in return. "It's finished."

Ezio gave me an odd look, lightly tugging at my hair. "What's finished?"

"The blade," Leonardo said behind me, making me stand and turn towards him, breaking free from Ezio's touch. "Once I deciphered the page, it was very easy-it told me exactly what to do." Leonardo made his way around the table and approached Ezio, the contraption in hand. Ezio made a move to grab it, but Leonardo held it away. "Now all we have to do is remove your ring finger." Leonardo held up his other hand, a large butcher knife in his grasp.

"What?" Ezio asked in surprise, clenching his left hand. I tried not to smile, but I couldn't help it, so I turned towards the bookshelves, acting like I couldn't watch.

"The weapon requires a form of 'commitment', a sacrifice to know that you really need it." I saw Ezio turn to me from the corner of my eye, so I turned away more to hide my smile

After a moment of silence, Ezio sighed. "_Bene_. Take it off." I turned to him, shocked that he was actually willing to do it. He had stretched his ring finger out onto the table, turning his head away.

Leonardo held up the knife. "This will only hurt a bit." In a swift moment, Leonardo brought the knife down, and I thought for a moment that he really did cut off Ezio's finger, but when I actually looked, he only delved the knife into the table next to Ezio's hand.

Ezio looked at his hand, shocked.

"I was only having fun, Ezio. Although the blade once required a sacrifice, it's been modified." Leonardo put the fixed assassin's blade bracer into Ezio's hands. "You can keep your finger." Ezio was still in a disarray, and his expression made me laugh out loud. He shook his head at me, but a small smile played his lips.

"Thank you, Leonardo, I-"

There were loud knocks on the door suddenly, shouts echoing through the room. "By the order of the Florentine guard, open up the door!"

I gave Ezio a concerned look, and immediately went to his side.

"Eh, I'll be right there!" Leonardo turned to us. "Stay here, alright?" We nodded and Leonardo went to answer the door.

"Are you Leonardo Da Vinci?" The guard asked, trying to peer into the room.

"Ah, yes, that is me. What can I do for you?"

"I need you to answer a few questions."

"Of course! Here, let's take a step outside..." Leonardo walked outside, leaving the door open a tiny bit.

Ezio immediately took a hold of my elbow. "_Venire_, we have to get out of here."

"But Ezio, what about Leonardo? That guard might do something to him!"

Ezio hesitated when we got to the door, pull his hood down over his face again. "We'll check up on him before we leave." It was near nightfall in Florence now, the sky darkening, the stars starting to peep out, the golden and red sunset faded with every moment.

Ezio kept a hold of my elbow as we walked past the courtyard of Leonardo's shop, both of us looking into it to find the Guard and Leonardo talking.

"...the last time you were in contact with Ezio Auditore?" The guard asked, obviously fed up with Leonardo judging by the sound of his voice.

"Who?" Leonardo asked, using the card of not even knowing Ezio at all.

"_Non fare il finto tonto_! We know you were close with the family!" Leonardo gave no response and the guard had finally had enough. "Perhaps this will help you clear your head!" The guard proceeded to push Leonardo to the ground, and from their started to kick Leonardo in the side. I sight made my stomach roll so uncomfortably.

I gripped onto Ezio's arm, the tears already filling my eyes. "Ezio, stop him! Stop him!"

Ezio didn't need another reason, and broke from my hold and ran into the courtyard. The guard didn't even get to see his death coming, Ezio ran up silently behind him and used the newly fixed blade to press into the guards side, who groaned quietly and fell to the ground after a stagger or two.

I ran over to Leonardo to help him stand up. "Are you okay?" I whispered to him.

Leonardo nodded. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I'm use to their abuses."

"I'm sorry for all of this," Ezio claimed, realizing that it was sort of his fault. "What should we do with the body?"

Leonardo dusted himself off. "Just bring it in and put it with the others."

"Others?" Both Ezio and I asked with shock at the same time.

"The city gives them to me for research."

Ezio picked up the guards body into his arms, and followed Leonardo and I back into the Studio. There, Ezio placed the body on the floor, and turned to Leonardo.

"There," Leonardo said with a grin. "Like it never happened."

"Thank you Leonardo-for everything," Ezio said with true gratitude.

"Anytime! By the way, Ezio, if you ever find any more pages like the one that was with the blade and bracer, bring them to me. Some of them may hold designs so I can upgrade your blade even more!"

"Of course." Ezio looked at me and nodded. "We really should be getting back to Paola now."

Leonardo nodded knowingly. "Please, send her my regards."

As we left the studio and once again blending among the crowds, I looked up to Ezio. "Is it weird that all of the people who can help us to most all know each other? It's like, there's hidden ties throughout the city, maybe even the whole country."

"Would that be surprising?" Ezio asked. "Maybe this is all a known wide group or something."

_It is_, I thought. _And you're a part of it now, whether you know it or not_.

I realized that Ezio still had no idea who his Father really was, and what he was now taking on. I don't think he realized that he was in much farther than he had anticipated, and that he was now one of those hidden ties.


	8. The Beginning

********

**Ah, nummy nummy Chapter 7/8. Delicious.  
I actually was able to make this chapter shorter, thanks to some freaking amazing tips from SporkedGamer (seriously, go read her story 'Broken Savior'. It's kick ass.) I went swimming today in icy cold water, and I experienced the feeling similar to having your lungs collapse. It was terrible.  
Anyways, I tried to liven this chapter up to make up for the last, boring chapter...and of course, the only way I can think of making something more colorful is swearing. So be warned.  
**

**Thanks for the reviews!:  
Acro111: Do you remember what you were going to say now? :3 I've been curious.**

**lightan117: I tried to keep the whole funniness of that part, so thanks for commenting on it. :3**

SafetyPinStitches: Aw, please don't cry! :( lol I slowed on the Federico story, but I'm working on it still! Don't give up hope on me now! :D

pinkrollingstone: Yes...a very dull chapter indeed.

cas.92: I LOVED the E3 trailer for Brotherhood. It was amazing!

Killer-Chan: Like I said before, I think that would be a splendid idea to bring 'friends' into the story...but I have to consider it a bit more. Thanks for the idea.

**Enjoy a pissed off Nar-I mean, Sexy Ezio. :3  
**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: The Beginning**

We returned to Paola's quickly and retrieved the information we were looking for.

"Uberto will be attending an art exhibit this evening at the Santa Croce. Use your skills that you have learned, Ezio, and let us end his reign of terror." After she was done explaining, Paola reached out and embraced Ezio, telling him to be careful. I had to look away in an odd anger. Was I the only woman for miles to come that wouldn't give into Ezio's charms withing a few hours?

"My girls will help you into the exhibit," Paola said, backing away from Ezio. "Use them for a distraction." I wanted to sigh and roll my eyes, but Paola suddenly turned and looked at me. "You shall help out as well, Narina."

"Oh, thanks," I mumbled sarcasticly. "And how exactly am I going to do that?"

Paola smiled at me softly, a knowing look, but I didn't know what she was getting at exactly. She walked to the other side of the room, reaching into a box. When she returned, she handed me a small orb.

I looked at it, confused. "What is it?" I asked, rolling the object in my hands.

She placed her touch over the object to stop the rolling. "It's a smoke bomb," she explained. "Throw it down to create an easy escape for Ezio after the assassination." I gave her a look at that last word, trying to tell her with my eyes that Ezio still didn't know...and if he got a gist of it, he would want an explanation from _me_, and I didn't have a good enough reason to convince him.

She only smiled at me, so I asked "How do I use it?"

"Simply throw it at the ground-it'll explode in a cloud of smoke and give Ezio time to escape without too much of a fight."

With goodbyes and a good luck, Ezio and I took to the streets, hiding among the crowds. The sky was growing gold and red, giving the hint that the sun was to set at any moment. Darkness was good-it would look upon us favorably for this mission. However, when we reached the Santa Croce, it was heavily guarded.

"There's no way we can get in without giving ourselves away," I told Ezio in a whisper.

Ezio looked the plaza over suddenly and I was so close to him that I could see under his hood to watch his eyes search.

"What are you doing?" I asked, looking around as well.

Ezio pointed to a corner formed by two buildings near the entrance to the exhibit. "Paola's women," Ezio whispered to me. "They can distract the guards for us."

I let a small groan slip past my lips and Ezio looked at me silently.

"What?"

"Do we _have_ to use them?"

"Narina, it's the safest way."

I was surprised that he didn't ask _why_ I didn't want them to help us. Before I could respond, Ezio was already walking to approach the courtesans. Annoyed, but convinced that this was the only way, I followed him slowly. Apparently, they caught sight of Ezio and approached him quickly. Ezio whispered to them and then gestured towards the guards. The girls nodded, and before they went to it, they held out their hands. Ezio quickly placed a small sum of money into their outstretched hands, and then the girls stalked towards the guards, swinging their hips.

From the looks of it, the guards were just as lustful as Ezio, because as soon as the courtesans cajoled out the them, they immediately left the entrance and followed the girls with large grins and sparkling eyes.

I huffed out an annoyed breath, and I folded my arms. "Pigs," I murmured.

Ezio took a hold of my arm and guided me through the entrance quickly before the guards tired of the girls and resumed their posts. Once we were inside the courtyard, Ezio and I hid in the shadows of the rooftop covering the walkway around the yard.

"There he is," Ezio murmured to me, nudging me and pointing across the yard. It took me a moment to find the man that Ezio had pointed at, and when I finally saw him, I felt my body go rigid and the hatred that I felt for the man was immense.

The man was talking with another man, and they were talking about the trial that had happened earlier that morning. I clenched my fists in rage, wanting to once again squeeze the fat mans throat.

"Remember-throw the bomb for an easy escape," Ezio told me again, and I could sense that he, too, was reigning back his anger. I nodded, and with that, Ezio stepped forward, out into the sunlight, towards Uberto. The man that Uberto gasped and backed away from Uberto.

"What is it?" Uberto asked, looking over his shoulder. He froze when he saw Ezio. "You..." He muttered.

Ah, voice was infuriating! Ezio must have thought so as well, for he ran the last little bit that he had to Uberto, took a hold of the mans' shoulder, extracted his assassin blade, and shoved the blade through Uberto's chest plate. Then again, flinging blood all about Ezio's white clothes and probably on his face, a river of blood already pouring out of the man's chest in excessive amount. And again, again, and again. I could see that Ezio was letting his rage out on the man, and I pinned no blame on the young Auditore, for I too wanted to repeatedly beat the man.

Ezio finally finished, blood soaking his sleeves and his blade before letting the man drop on his back dead. And although I felt a moment of peace, I wasn't calm just yet. One corrupt man usually got his idea's from another. The battle wasn't over yet.

Ezio turned and looked at all the shocked on lookers, his rage in his eyes. "The Auditore are not dead!" Ezio yelled at them. "I'm still here! Me! Ezio Auditore!" I let him stare menacingly at the crowd, but when I saw the guard pushing forward to confront Ezio, I remember the smoke bomb.

"Ezio!" I yelled to him. "Get ready!" He turned to me to spot where I was before I was clouded from his sight. I threw the orb down on the ground, immediately covering my face. It was silent for a moment, and I dared a look through my fingers.

The orb was laying on the ground, still in contact, no smoke about. It didn't even work! "Aw, you're fucking kidding me!" I yelled, and right then the guards finally pushed through the crowds, racing at Ezio. The young assassin was already to me, tucking me under his arm and weaving through the crowds, and exiting the building quickly. The guards were right behind us, so we didn't have time to devise a plan to escape.

Ezio dragged me around the corner of the Santa Croce, the blood on his sleeve soaking through my clothes and touching my skin, making me shiver in disgust.

Ezio was suddenly breathing in my ear. "Narina, we don't have time to find a good place to make a detailed plan, so here it is. I'll distract the guards, and you keep running until you're safe. We meet back at Paola's, understand?"

I nodded, but was once again afraid that I was going to lose him.

"Where should I go?"

"It doesn't matter-just run until you are safe."

He let go of me, and took off in a different direction. I wasted to time to watch him go, continuing to run the way that we had been going, weaving through the crowds, trying not to shove them aside in my angst. My pounding footsteps were so loud, they pounded in my head. My breath was the only thing that I could hear above the footsteps, jagged and uneven. I managed a look over my shoulder right quick and gasped in surprise. There were two guards following me, their swords drawn.

"_Merda_!" I groaned, looking back to the street in front of me. I had no combat experience, and I wasn't even sure if I could defend myself from a sword, so they were surely to kill me. Or worse...they could capture me and torture me! Or even worse! They could rape me brutally!

God, I wasn't making myself feel better about this! Not to mention that I was running out of breath. I glanced over my shoulder again and saw that the guards were closing in on me, and I gasped in shock. When I looked forward again, I noticed a small alleyway coming up on my right, and I decided that this was my best shot. I swept past the group of people that were standing around the mouth of the alley, forcing myself to keep up my speed, but I was gradually slowing down.

The group must have been in the way of the guards and bought me time, for I when I reached the end of the alley, coming up into another plaza, the guards weren't behind me. I kept running until I found a stack of crates that I could hide behind. Not too long after crouching down behind the boxes, practically sitting on the cold ground, the same two guards rushed past me, frantically looking about.

"Damn!" One of them murmured. "We lost her."

"And I was getting excited too.." the other said in response. "We could have had fun with her before we took her to jail."

_Ooh_. I see how they are. Rape me_ then_ torture me. Were all men pigs in this day and age?

I sat still until they muttered there forfeit and walked away, back in the direction that we had came from. I figured that I should find another way back to Paola's. I waited a good three more minutes before standing from behind the crates and walked the other way the guards had.

I took me a good few hours to actually find a plaza that was familiar, and from there, it took me about fifteen minutes to find Paola's. I paused before knocking on the door, and walking in like Ezio did at most of the places he visited.

When I walked in, I found Paola first. "Ah, Narina, you're safe," she said with a smile, walking up to me. "Ezio's been worried."

I was too tired to try and understand what she was trying to get at. "Sorry, I got lost. _Firenze_ is a lot bigger than I had first thought."

Paola's face fell. "You should go and show him that you're safe." She gestured to a side room with her head. "He's in there. Mind you, he just told his family about Giovanni and his sons."

I looked up at her shocked. "You didn't tell them about..." I trailed off when she shook her head. I blinked back what felt like a wave of tears, but there were none. "I see." I sighed and walked into the room, the door slightly ajar.

The first thing I heard was Claudia's crying, and then I saw tiny arms wrapped around Ezio's torso. I glanced around the room and saw Maria sitting on the couch, staring blankly at her hands folded in her lap. I walked in slowly, as though not to disturb them. Claudia broke free from Ezio and sat next to her mother, burying her face in her hands, sobbing.

I stayed next to the door, leaning lightly on the door frame. Ezio finally noticed me, his face growing surprised for a moment and then filled with relief. Before he could say anything, however, I gestured with my head that we should take a step out of the room . He nodded and followed me out of the room silently.

"How'd that go?" I asked him, staring at him sadly as he quietly closed the door behind him.

Ezio sighed. "It was defiantly a shock for them. But we have no time to mourn now-we have to leave _Firenze_ as soon as possible." Ezio paused. "We leave first thing in the morning for my Uncles villa in Monteriggioni."

I nodded and then looked down at my feet, embarrassed and hesitant. "Am...Am I going with you?"

Ezio was silent for a moment, and I clamped my eyes shut, considering taking it back. Then he was laughing, and I looked up at him, shocked. He had thrown his head back so fast and hard that his hood fell off from around his face halfway, and he used his hand to drag down the rest. His white teeth flashed in the dim candlelight and his chest heaved with every chuckle.

I flushed. "It was a serious question, Ezio!" I hissed.

Ezio took a few deep breaths to calm himself before reaching out and placing his arm around my shoulders. "Of course you are, Narina. You're face is known now too, and you don't have a place to go anyways, right?"

"Well, yeah," I admitted, squirming under his hold, "but I don't want you to drag me along if you don't even want to."

Ezio gave me a huff and dropped his arm from me. "Of course I want you to come with us Narina. Why wouldn't I?"

I was the one to give the huff this time. "Well, maybe you haven't notice, but we argue a lot."

Ezio shrugged. "That just means that we're friends."

I thought about it, and came to the conclusion that maybe Ezio was right about the whole friend thing, but I still wasn't sure if he was actually considering the fact that he would have to drag me along because I had no idea what I was doing.

Ezio took a hold of my shoulder. "Well, I'm glad that you managed to escape harm from those two guards that went after you. Almost gave me a heart attack when I saw them split after you."

I laughed, and made a gesture to my height. "I'm small-I can hide pretty well." He laughed too, and it was different than the one he had given before, which was meant to mock me. This laugh made me feel happy, like his joy worked on my own.

When we were done laughing and joking, Ezio told me that I should go to bed now and that he'd see me in the morning.

I was shocked when I saw him move towards the door. "Where are you going?" I asked before he walked out.

Ezio turned to look at me. "Paola thinks it best that I erase my face from the city before we leave-it'll make it easier to get out. I'm going poster hunting."

"Oh." I yawned, and rubbed at my eyes. "Have fun then."

"Sweet dreams, Narina."

I grumbled back a response, realizing just how tired I was. Ezio left and a moment later, Paola came down the stairs. "Narina, you can sleep up here if you're tired," she offered, gesturing up the stairs.

I shook my head. "I don't know...are the sheets clean?"

Paola laughed. "Yes, I assure you."

* * *

I wasn't happy the next morning.

First of all, I wasn't a morning person in the first place.

Second of all, I was rudely woken up in the middle of the night by screams and moans coming from the room across the hall. Not only was that a rude awakening, but the name that the woman was screaming pissed me off the most.

_Oh Ezio! Don't stop!_

God. It was enough to make me sick.

So I was in no mood to even get up that morning, let alone go traveling with the bastard that I was pissed at.

Worst of all, he tried to greet me all casually.

"Good Morning, Narina," he said to me-cheerfully, might I add.

"Stuff it in your ass hole, dick wad," I snapped at him, rolling up the sleeves of my shirt to hide the blood spots on them, storming past him.

He was taken aback. "What's wrong with you?"

I sharply turned to him, feeling the anger boil beneath the surface of my eyes. "_Oh_, what's wrong with _me!"_

Ezio paused for a moment. "_Si_, that's what I asked."

I growled in anger and turned away from him. "_Men!_" I exalted in a low breath.

Leaving Ezio confused, I walked into the entrance room, ignoring Paola's 'good morning'. I sat gruffly down on on of the couches that were in the room, folding my arms and despising the world. Ezio and Paola exchanged a look that I think was an agreement to let me wallow in my anger. _Well, to hell with them all!_

A few minutes passed, and then Claudia and Maria entered the room, and Ezio declared that we were leaving. As I stood up from the couch, Paola reached out for Ezio, and kissed him on the cheek, which made me plunge a level deeper in my hatred for the world at the moment.

"Be careful Ezio! Be vigilant! I suspect that the road ahead is long."

"_Grazie_, Paola. For everything."

"If you ever are in _Firenze_ again, make sure to stop by."

"Of course." They exchange formal kisses, making my eye twitch once, and then we all said our goodbyes and left the Bordella.

Ezio had been right about one thing—it sure was a lot easier to go through the town without his face being on the look out, and I allowed that to slip through my anger. But we were still careful, trying not to draw anymore attention to us than was necessary. We took it slow, softly pushing our way through the crowds. Getting out of the city was easy, but I feared for the long road it would take to get to this uncle of Ezio's place in—what was it again?-Monteriggioni.

As we were walking down the road leading out of the city, I had to stop for a moment, falling behind the rest of the group, and look back at the city once more, the high rooftops poking out above the city walls, the sounds of the crowds billowing and overflowing from the stones.

I felt a pang of loss that overpowered the anger for a moment. I had a feeling that I wouldn't see Florence for a long time. There was a flutter of panic when I realized that it was the only place that I knew, and I was scared to go out into the world.

Claudia called to me, and I jogged quickly to catch up to them.

"How could this have happened to us?" Claudia asked, her despair thick in her words.

"I don't know," Ezio said gruffly.

"Will we ever come back?"

"I don't know." Even more gruff.

"What will happen to our house?"

"I don't know!" Ezio said, finally snapping around and stopping. I gave him a look that said that he had no reason to be upset with Claudia right now. His answering glare wasn't wasted, telling _me_ that I had no reason to be upset with _him_ right now, although I did. I just didn't want to bring it up.

While Ezio and I were having our silent argument, Claudia sighed and bowed her head. "Were they...given a proper burial?"

The question made Ezio and I look away from each other and turn to Claudia. Then I looked back at Ezio, asking him the same question with the tilt of my head.

Ezio nodded solemnly. "_Si_. They were."

There wasn't much more talking the whole way to Monteriggioni. It kind of drove me to the brink of insanity, a whole day of walking with a cloud of dispare hovering over the group. And a part of that despair was mine, but...to be under such a heavy feeling all day long made you want to snap.

By the time we could even see Monteriggioni's building peaks, the sun was dipping into the mountains in the distance, and my feet were sore, my back ached, my clothes were all bloody and sweat, I smelt bad, my hair was in knots, and I could have shoved my shoe up Ezio's ass for all I cared. My anger at him never really waned through the day, and under the weight of the depression, I think it made it worse. I wasn't the only one who was feeling miserable. Claudia, however, was more prone to the idea of complaining _vocally_ instead of _mentally_ like me. I think I could have shoved my other shoe up _her_ ass for all I cared.

Due to the rude awakening that morning and the long day of complaining and walking, I was in absolutely NO mood to deal with a little caper I liked to call the 'just fucking great' fight.

When we walked around the last bend in the road and were able to see the entrance to Monteriggioni, there was a man standing in the middle of the road, like he was waiting for us. Ezio froze in his tracks, gesturing for us to stop.

"_Buon giorno_, Ezio." I didn't like this guy already. Maybe it was the fact that I didn't like really anyone at the moment, but even so, I felt like I could bash this guys face in. "How could you leave _Firenze_ without saying a proper goodbye?" The man continued with a smug smile. With the mans' words finished, some guards appeared from the shadowed forests nearby and surrounded us.

"Ezio!" I said in a warning, taking note of how close the guards were to us now. Ezio looked back at us, then waved a hand for us to come closer to him.

"What do you want, Vieri?"

"So many things," this Vieri character hummed. "A larger palazzo, two new steeds..." His eyes landed on me and I immediately glared back at him. "A prettier bride..." Ezio immediately held out his arm as if to block Vieri from getting to me. Vierti's attention went back to Ezio. "Oh and yes...your life." With that, the guards surrounding us all pulled out their weapons and circled in tighter around us.

Ezio immediately started to fight them off with his Assassin blade, killing them as fast as he could. But his swings were out of control and unmeasured. He was using too much energy for each swing, energy that should have been saved and stored for later uses. I had just figured before that his talents would just come to him, but I realized in reality that Ezio never had to fight with weapons.

I couldn't focus on Ezio's lack of battle, because I was soon facing a few guards of my own, and I had even less experience than Ezio.

"Claudia, help me," I whispered to her, remembering Federico's words about how Maria could hold up on her own, that it ran in the family. I had to close my eyes against the image of the smiling man, and I focused on the anger that had been plaguing me for the entire day. I found the source, and my anger returned in ten-fold.

The guard wiggled his eyebrows at me, I sneered back. "I'm really not in the mood to deal with you right now," I said as a warning, raising my fists.

The man laughed at me, a tease. "Ooh, I'm so scared!"

That was it. I couldn't take that smirk of his anymore. While he was laughing, I reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt, dragging him towards me while quickly ramming my fist into his nose. The disgusting thing about it was that I felt the bone crack under my knuckles, and it really grossed me out. But it made the man yelp, and jump back, holding at his nose with blood running between his fingers. I smiled at him sweetly, making him growl and lunge at me. Good thing Claudia was backing me up-she twisted her fist into his face too, only I'm sure hers hurt a lot more than mine did because the man was knocked out.

I looked at her in amazement. "How'd you do that?"

She shrugged. "Federico and Ezio taught me." I chuckled lightly.

"Narina, look out!" I quickly turned to find one of the guards standing right in front of me, his sword lifted over his head to strike. I flinched away, sure that my skull would be cut open any moment now. When the impact didn't come, I slowly looked up and saw that the man was in the same position as before, only now, his eyes were glazing over. His hands staggered down a bit to his sides before he dropped the sword and crumpled to the ground. Ezio now stood in front of me, his hand outstretched and his blade extracted, covered in thick, red blood.

I stared up into his eyes, feeling suddenly lost. His answering gaze was warm and relieved.

"I grow tired of this game," Vieri said suddenly, making us all look at him. "Kill him," he told the remaining guards. "And _don't_ spare the women." The rest of the guards charged at us, and before I could even gasp, Ezio had taken a hold of my shoulder and held me to his chest as if to protect me.

_What is he doing? No! I'm supposed to be mad at him!_

Then the charging guards just...fell. All of them, tripping and rolling to the ground, blood pooling around them. I could tell that I was not the only one confused, Ezio was looking around in wonder and Vieri was demanding an explanation.

"What sorcery is this!"

There was a deep laugh, coming from the shadows of the trees around us. "Not sorcery, boy! Skill!"

"Show yourself!"

"Very well." Vieri's sword was suddenly knocked out of his hand, and he looked at all of us in enraged confusion. Men emerged from the trees, surrounding us. But I could tell that these were our allies. Ezio let go of me, and I realized abruptly that I was leaning into him. I straightened quickly, and folded my arms, trying to regain my anger, which was long lost now.

A rather broad man walked out of the shadows, dark hair, and threw a sword at Ezio. "Here!" he said with a smile. "Use this."

Ezio caught the sword, and gave the man a long look.

"KILL THEM!" Vieri screeched. "KILL THEM ALL!"

The man took a running start at Vieri, who got scared, apparently, stumbled and ran away, leaving the rest of the guards around to attack us. Although I was prepared to defend myself, I didn't have to. The men who were our allies soon took down the rest of the guards, Ezio and the leader of the group taking down the ones that got too close to us. Before too long, all of the guards were dealt with, and everyone scraped by with only minor injuries.

Ezio held out the sword back to the man, bowing his head. "You have my thanks."

The man smiled, and used his fingers to push the sword back. "Keep the sword, Ezio."

I silently gasped and looked at the man more closely. Had I seen this man before? Ezio seemed confused as well.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Ezio asked hesitantly, as if trying to reach back into his mind to find this face.

The man once again smiled, more broad this time. "Don't you recognize me? It's-a-me! Mario!" I couldn't help but laugh at the introduction-something exploded in the back of my mind, and I had a sudden case of the giggles.

"Uncle Mario?" Ezio asked in astonishment as Mario threw a hug on him, picking him up off the ground as if Ezio was a small child again.

"It's been far too long, _nipote!_"the uncle said, setting down Ezio. "Far too long!" Ezio still seemed shook up, like he couldn't believe what was happening. I smiled and laughed lightly,making Mario's attention shoot to me. "Ah, Ezio, who is this _bella signora_?"

I took a hold of the situation before Ezio could. "My name is Narina, _Signore _Mario. I've been living with Ezio's family for a couple of days now."

Mario took a hold of my hand, and lifted it to kiss the back of it. "_È un piacere di incontrarla._"

I smiled. "The pleasure is all mine." I assured him.

With a quick wink, I noticed that one of his eyes had a large scar running through it, the color of the eye faded and milky looking. Then he turned back to Ezio, a long look drowning his face.

"I heard about what happened in _Firenze_..." I lowered my eyes, and felt the depressed cloud hang over us again. "Terrible." No, it was worse than terrible. It was devastating. It was life altering. I couldn't stand the fact that he made it sound so minor. "Come. Let's get you all away from here." Mario turned quickly as led us to the small town that lay before us.

I walked up silently next to Ezio, giving him a side way glance. He nodded to me when he caught my gaze, and started to follow his uncle into Monteriggioni.


	9. A Part of The Family

**Ah, wonderful chapter 8/9. This one is also pretty short-I had to skip around a bit. Also, it probably sucks- I was rushing. I want to take the time now to say that there are some really good stories out there in the AC category, and I want to say congrats to everyone who has one because we're all amazing for writing one. :3  
Thanks for reviewing!: **

**napanapa: Thanks for taking the time to review! It means so much to me!**

**SafetyPinStitches: I actually think I'm going to have her specialize with a short blade, although I have no idea why. Pft, I know-I wanted to make the whole Smoke Bomb thing funny, because...I know that if _I_**** tried to use one, it wouldn't work. The Federico story is on a slight hold, but I work on it every now and again, so it's still coming along! :3 **

**cas.92: The Mario line always gets me too! I wonder if Ubisoft got crap for that...**

**Acro111: Men ARE pigs. :3 I'm glad we agree with each other.**

**Satsuriku-sama: Ezio and Miss Nostril will fall in love (wait...that's not a spoiler, right?) I mean, I said it in the summary, right? :3**

**Killer-Chan: Haha I know, damned whores taking all of Ezio! (and yes, Narina is getting slightly jealous.)**

**Spartan907: You know what's funny with the whole spelling thing? When I spell check it and it tells me it's wrong, I just go 'pft, no it's not' and just keep it. I guess I don't like the computer telling me what to do. haha :3 Thanks.**

**Kagekitsonegal: It's all okay, I don't mind. :3 Ezio is pretty much a man-whore. A hot man-whore.**

**pinkrollingstone: I know it's sad still...but I'll try to liven it up for you! :3**

**Yes. It is now time for the epic sexiness of Ezio.**

_-I have a growing fear and you're not helping me.  
Am I the only one who realizes it true?-  
'Misery Loves it's Company' by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus_

* * *

**Chapter Eight: A Part of The Family**

I bathed for the first time in a week once we were all settled in the Villa. Once I was cleaned of all blood, dirt and grime, I toweled myself off, rubbing away the ribbons of water. As I rubbed the towel into my hair roughly, I reached out to wipe away the steam that clouded the mirror.

The skin on the young girl that looked back at me was smooth and pale, a small dark mole under her right eye. Her lips were more pursed yet still full and rosy pink. Dark and wet black hair tumbled carelessly across her forehead and over her shoulders. Her figure wasn't exactly luscious-sort of soft and thin, but still very noticeable. However pretty and innocent looking, her deep blue eyes spoke of truths and realizations of a woman who had gone through a lifetime of trouble, and her face was drawn from her exhaustion and her own mistakes.  
I was skeptical, but the round necklace that was rested against the woman's collarbone told me that this woman was indeed my own reflection. I guess that I was so out of it, that I didn't even want to believe it.

A few minutes passed where I simply watched myself in the mirror quietly. Then I dressed myself and combed my unruly wavy and curly hair away from my face, and left the bathroom quickly.

I found Ezio wondering around the back court yard of the Villa. A confused and anxious look overshadowed his face now instead of his hood, which was now lowered.

At my approach, he looked up to me.

"_Salute_," I whispered, giving him a poor attempted smile.

"_Salute_."

I looked up to his face when he spoke lowly. "What are you pondering about out here?" I asked softly, trying to catch his eye.

Ezio turned away from me, looking out into the distant mountains that surrounded Monteneggini. "Uncle told me some unbelievable things, and yet, I can't help but wonder if what he says in indeed true." He rubbed at his head. "If they are true, I have no idea as to what I should do."

"What are some of the things he told you?"

Ezio rubbed at his neck, looking up at the darkening sky. "He told me that my father was an Assassin and that Templars exist."

I thought about his words carefully before I replied. "That's true, Ezio. All of what you just said."

Ezio looked at me, shocked. "You know then as well?" He sounded exasperated, as if he was angry that he was the only one who hadn't known.

I nodded solemnly. "Somehow, yes." I straightened my shoulders, prepared to explain myself. "The first night that I spoke to your father, my past allowed me to remember the Assassin's Creed. I know of it from my past, although none of us are sure how."

"You never told me," Ezio whispered, he deep brown eyes probing into mine. Although I found the intensity much to expansive for me, I kept my gaze locked onto his.

"I never felt it was my place to tell you. It was more of your..." I trailed off, a picture of Giovanni's face flashing in my mind. I felt the tears sting, but I didn't allow them to show.

"Then did Federico know?"

I shook my head slowly, now seeing Federico's face. "Not that I know of." My hand was curling about the necklace. After a pause, I dropped the necklace and looked up to Ezio with a determined look. "You _are_ an Assassin, Ezio. It runs in the blood from your distant ancestors, and you were always destined to take after your Father."

Ezio was already shaking his head. "I don't even know if I believe all of this yet, Narina. I don't even know who _you_ are, apparently." His eyes shone oddly as he stared at me quietly.

I sighed silently and replied "We both have to figure out who I am exactly. As for your heritage," I turned back towards the Villa, "I'm sure your _Zio_ Mario has plenty of documents for you to research in his Library. Try to see if those convince you." I stared at Ezio sadly as he kept his gaze down to the ground. I found myself reaching out to him, and I touched his face, feeling the rough stubble on his chin and jaw. He looked up at me at my touch as if pleading me to help him through all of this.

"You can do this, Ezio," I told him in a whisper, giving him a small but real smile. "I'll be here for you, okay?" Ezio closed his eyes, and lightly leaned into my touch, nodding slightly.

* * *

**About 2 Years Later  
**  
Ezio started his training that next day with a few words of encouragement from his Uncle. Ezio was skeptical at first about this training, but he deemed it necessary in order to travel and keep his family safe. I only hoped that, after a long talk with Mario about the brotherhood and understanding what exactly they were all standing for, Ezio would find that this Creed that his father stood for was something that he needed to take over.

Although I wanted to learn how to defend myself so Ezio didn't have to worry about me, I knew that Mario didn't have the time to teach me as well. Instead of having Mario teach me, though, I asked Ezio to go over some of the things he learned everyday with me during the evenings.

Battle skills weren't the only thing Ezio and I learned together. We tried to visit Rome a couple of times to take a brake from all of the training, but we were only able to make it there once-we were suppose to bring Claudia and Maria with us, but Claudia and Ezio came to the conclusion that it was probably best for Maria to stay home, and much to her dismay, Ezio and I voted for Claudia to stay at home with Maria. So along side the fighting tips, we also learned how vast and beautiful Italy actually was. We learned that there was so much out there that was to be discovered. We learned together that we were so small.

The one thing that we _didn't_ learn was how to come to agreement with each other. No matter how much Ezio and I tried, we usually always ended up in an argument. We fought about every little thing we could, and even when we knew the other was right, we still kept the fight up.

Although we argued and called each other some pretty intense names, we got to know each other very well. Ezio soon became my best friend when we started to live at Monteneggini. We did everything together-he taught me how to fight for myself and climb buildings because he was just tired of carrying me everywhere, we usually went shopping together and we'd travel together. Normally, every evening after he was done going over his skills for the day with me, we'd climb up upon the villa's roof and stare up at the stars until one of us would fall asleep. If he was the one to fall asleep first, which happened often due to his full day of training, I'd shake him awake, smile at him and tell him to go to bed. However, if it was ever me that fell sleep first, I'd wake up in my bed the next morning. That suggested that Ezio didn't take the choice of waking me up and let me go to bed myself, he, instead, would pick me up softly to not wake me and carry me inside himself.

I never took the time to ask him-I never liked to talk about those sorts of things with him. It was probably because I felt weak under his charming smirks-I was going to admit, he could probably swoon me if he really tried. And in any case, I liked to be his friend more than his..._lover_. He used the women in the town for those needs, anyways.

On another page, Claudia and I became almost like enemies. After about a month of living with them, I was finally able to tell Claudia to shut that big hole she called her mouth. Not only did the interaction start another argument with Ezio and I, it also dashed any hope of being on the same level as Claudia again. Don't get me wrong-I had come to love Claudia like a sister, but like all siblings, there was the feeling of 'I want to punch you in the face'

Maria hadn't spoken at all the whole time we were at Uncle Mario's. Not one word. Ezio told me that she just simply sat in her room, her hands folded on her lap, staring at the few feathers that Ezio and I had gotten Petruccio that one day. I told him that we should try and collect a few more to make Maria happy-but we never got around to it during those two years.

My moments where I would suddenly remember something from my past didn't come as often anymore-I only had a spur about twice those two years. One time when Ezio and I were sitting out on the roof, I just spit out 'I'm a virgin.' I didn't even know where it had came from, it just happened. He had turned and looked at me with a 'are you crazy' look then slowly replied "good I really wanted to know." Not too long after that, when Ezio was charming a young 15 year old girl and I called him a Pedophile, which took me a few moments to explain to him what _that_ was, he proceeded to ask me how old _I_ was, which, without a thought, I said '18', the same age he was. So, I figured out my age _and_ my sexual status within two years. Also, what a pedophile was.

So, the years went by. I practically became an Auditore, and, with permission from Mario, I was going to claim myself as and Auditore now.

I ran into Ezio's room, pulling myself up the ladder quickly that led to his almost hidden room. He was sitting at the desk in the middle of the room, staring at a scroll that was spread along the table. Ezio had been wearing his father's Assassin Robes for years now, and it became a part of him. He gave all of his old clothes to me, and I happily accepted them, taking them to the tailors to fix them to my size. His hood was down when I walked in, revealing his face that was in a good need of a shave. He looked up at my entrance.

"Hello, Ezio!" I greeted with a grin, prancing over to his desk.

He smiled back to me. "_Buon Giorno_, Narina."

"Ah, ah, ah!" I scolded with a smile, waving my finger at Ezio. "It's Narina Auditore now."

He rolled his eyes and smiled at me. "Whatever. That makes it sound like you're married to me."

My face fell finally. "No it doesn't," I said, but I still realized that he was right.

Ezio laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I know. The story is that you are my sister-in-law, because you married Federico."

It had been long enough for Ezio to tease me about the Federico and I thing, and no matter how hard I acted that it still bothered me, Ezio could see that it didn't. Although it was months before I actually accepted it, I _had_ gotten over Federico. I still wore his necklace though, and held onto the memories that I had of him to make me happy when Ezio became a little bit too unbearable. Although the necklace didn't hold such a strong emotion to it now, it reminded me that Federico never left me, like he had said before he left me in his room. He wasn't in my reach, but I felt him there.

I was still frowning at Ezio. "No-there is no story. Let people think what they want to think."

Ezio smiled, but rolled his eyes at me. "Okay, no story." He leaned back in his chair, sighing. "Although, most of the ladies I'll meet won't like the thought of hearing of there being a 'Narina Auditore' when she's not even my sister."

I grunted in displeasure. "Yeah, like being married would even stop you from sleeping around. I know how you are."

"Well, if I found the right woman, Narina, I think that I would be faithful to her and keep my body for her." He winked at me, and I fought the urge to slap him.

"And _that's_ why I think you're disgusting," I said, pointing at him, sneering at him. "You give no consideration of the women you see."

Ezio shrugged nonchalantly, and I now knew it was one of his signature moves to brush off a fact that he knew was true. "Narina, they don't expect me to care."

I proceeded to shove my face into his and growl "That's where you are so wrong. I've heard what they say when I walk by in town. They long for your consideration." I leaned back from him, folding my arms and glaring at him. "And you don't even know that you're sending the wrong messages, my dear friend."

Ezio groaned and rubbed his face. "Narina, please, not this again."

I rolled my eyes and sat on his desk, turning away from him. "Fine, but this is far from over." He didn't reply. I looked back at him, and he was twiddling his thumbs, staring at me innocently. I shook my head and sighed. "Okay, fine, Ezio, you win for today." Ezio chuckled under his breath, his silent victory. "But before you celebrate, I wanted to come remind you that your uncle wanted to talk to you today."

Ezio smiled at me in a mocking way. "Oh, I thought you wanted to come remind me that you're an Auditore now."

I smiled at him sneeringly. "Yeah, that too. Now come on, _idioto_, let's not keep Mario waiting."

I walked with Ezio down to his uncles office, then bade him goodbye, and took a step outside. It was near the end of the day-Ezio had already gotten done with his training weeks before, and it was just a test of skill against his uncle tonight. I didn't want to pressure him by watching him, so I was going to climb up onto the roof of the villa and wait for him to join me afterwords.

It was evenings like those that I was truly appreciative of Ezio-the view from the roof of the Villa was absolutely stunning, and if it wasn't for him teaching me and training me to get into shape and climb up upon the roof, I'd never get to see it. The sky was a pallet of warm colors, the trees lipping on the edges of the mountains in the distance framing the colors as if it were a large portrait. The cool color of the mountains in the shadow of the light created a nice contrast between the reflected fiery colors in the sky, and made it all seem so surreal.

Before I could relax, and truly appreciate the beauty of this nature, I heard Mario yelling from the training ring in front of the Villa. I sat up from my lax laid back position and glanced in the general direction of the ring. He was saying something about..._abandonment?_ Had Ezio refused to fight him? What was going on? I stood from my roof seat and ran across the roof towards the Villa. I slowed as I neared the edge, able to hear their words more clearly now.

"How could you just leave this all behind, _Nipote!_" Mario was scolding. "To throw everything your father fought and _died_ for? To _deny_ your heritage? Fine!" What did this mean? Was Ezio quitting? I had the urge to say something, but I couldn't find the words.

Ezio was quiet, but he said something back that I couldn't hear, and Mario froze in place. After a moment of them standing still, Mario spoke slowly "You would even leave behind Narina without even telling her where you were going?"

"If she knew," Ezio said, "she'd follow, and I can't have that. Not now."

Mario seemed to sneer, but it was hard to tell from my perch. "She trusts you with her life, and you just leave her to wake up and find you gone? Hasn't she lost enough-her memory, her family, her only love that she can remember? And you're going to add to that? Fine!" Mario waved Ezio off before he could say anything. "So be it. _Arrivederci e buona fortuna_." The man turned towards the villa and stalked inside, his anger making his movements ridged.

"Uncle, wait-!" Ezio called after, but then sighed and turned towards the ring master. But I couldn't hear the words any longer. I lowered my eyes from Ezio's figure and felt a hot stab of betrayal. He was just going to leave me...after two years, he was just going to...drop me. And the worst thing about it was that he wasn't even planning on telling me-I was supposed to just wake up alone and scared. To think, that I had actually thought that this was all going somewhere, to think that I though Ezio and I were going to be a team someday.

I looked back up to Ezio and the ringmaster, who were finishing up talking. Ezio turned towards the Villa to watch were Mario had gone to. Suddenly his eyes jerked up, and he saw me upon the roof, his eyes widening. The tears finally started to well up in my eyes, and I felt a fray in the as I once thought Iron strong friendship I had acquired with Ezio.

He said my name, but I couldn't hear it. I shook my head at him, covering my eyes before turned and running back across the roof. There was a spot on the far edge of the Villa's roof that Ezio and I used to jump off, and I didn't waste any time to throw myself over the edge, my arms spread out like an eagle. I landed in a bouncy haystack that Ezio and I had put there years before. The thought brought tears to my eyes, and I quickly got out, brushing myself off of hay as I ran through the door of Mario's Office.

He was in the middle of the room, pacing frantically about. He looked up at me, and with one look of my face, I saw that he immediately knew that I had heard his conversation with Ezio.

Opening his arms, he offered a hug, and I gladly accepted it.

All of my memories that I had included Ezio, from the very first moment. It was hard to think of him...just letting me go. To me, he had been there for me forever.

I broke the hug with Mario and looked at him seriously. "Are you absolutely sure you're going to let him do this?"

Mario sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm not, but there's no stopping him. I feel bad for yelling at him, but why would he have stayed all this time when he was going to just leave in the end?" Mario sighed, and rubbed at his head. "It's just amazing to me that he can just drop all of this responsibility as an Auditore."

I nodded, understanding, but still felt the pang of betrayal from my best friend. "What do you plan to do then?"

Mario started to pace again. "We leave for San Gimignano tonight to kill Vieri, who has been bothering us the first day you all arrived here. It's a problem, but we plan to end it tonight."

I hesitated a moment. "I'm going with you," I declared with a firm stare.

Mario looked at me, stunned. "What do you mean?"

"I may not be as good as Ezio when it comes to fighting, but I am a pretty good climber now. Besides..." I paused, raising a fist to show my determination. "I'm an Auditore now, too, and it's my responsibility."

Mario took a moment, but then threw his head back and laughed. "Ah, it's good to know you have your pride, Narina. It's as strong as if you were our own." He grabbed a hold of my shoulder and grinned down at me. "Welcome to the family, Ms. Auditore."

* * *

**I had a discussion with SporkedGamer, and we decided that Ezio had to have taken at least a year and a half to practice fighting, despite how quickly it passes in the game. However, we weren't sure, so if you know, please tell! **

**This chapter was short. Very short. I guess I'm still making up for the holy-shit-long chapters. Besides, I wanted to get this one out of the way.**

**Fun Fact of the Day:**  
**I wondered, have any of you noticed that 'Narina' used to be 'Nerina'? I changed it somewhere along the way unintentionally. Whoops— my bad.**


	10. Poisoning the Snake

**So, here's the next chapter for all of you. I realize that 'poisoning the snake' isn't an appropriate title— I know some of you are going to skip this, read the title, and rant "Hey! Ezio doesn't get the poison blade until later!". So I'm warning you all before hand, this chapter has absolutely no use of poison in it— it's sort of a...I don't know, metaphor, since most snakes are poisonous it would be ironic and iconic to kill one with it's own poison. Besides, Mario calls Vieri a snake and I just thought it sounded catchy. And Poisoning something usually means you're killing it, so...  
Done ranting now...like a boss... :3**

**Thanks for the reviews!:**

**SporkedGamer: Aw, double checking? You know how I am! :3 Besides, all your talk about your story ending soon got me all flustered...(I think that's what I want to say...)**

**Acro111:Aw, thanks for all the reviews! I was so lost on the whole year skips in the game. X( It confuses me greatly...**

**Nightshade07:I'm afraid I can't answer your first question properly without giving anything away. :3 Sorry. Ezio is a jerk, just dropping Narina...**

**lighttan117:Haha It's only Ezio's character to be a mega man-whore...I'm sure he has his reasons. Maybe I'll make up a sob story for him later on...**

**pinkrollingstone: Hee, here's my next chapter and most of your questions will be answered within it!**

**Napanapa: Thanks for the reviews and the support! :3**

**SafetyPinStitches: Well, technically, she _does_ run off before Ezio does...but not in such an extreme case... Yes...she sort of did a leap of faith... :3 But yeah. I guess 'Narina' is easier for me to type than 'Nerina' is...my bad. Federico story is still slowly coming along— I'll try to make it a top priority so it gets done! :3**

**Hedwig the MillenniumOwl: Thank you so much for all the tips and such a productive review! It really means so much to me!**

**Satsuriku-sama:haha I know, I know— I'm planning on trying to get some romance between the two in the next chapter, although not a whole lot...it's still too early for me. X3**

**Kagekitsonegal:Thanks! :3 And revenge time is taken in this chapter.**

**shinigami66: Thanks for the review! I _so_ want the book- but I live in a place where the closest book store is two in a half hours away. And I don't have my own car yet so... I hope to get it someday.**

**whatisupmysky: Thanks so much! :3 I wish I could speak Italian too...Thanks for the rate thing- I don't think I've ever gotten one of those. :3 I'll try to fix up my spelling. I'm just lazy. XD**

**R'tas Vardan': Thank you for the review! I will start to put a translation next to the words, then. :3 I don't use Italian as much in further chapters— I somehow forget to put in some Italian... at least not as frequently. :3**

**And now... my poor attempt at writing an action scene. There's a reason I write romantic stories. X3  
**

**

* * *

**

_Everyone with a friendly face_

_seems to hide some secret inside._

_-'Caged' by Within Temptation_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Poisoning the Snake**

We left for San Gimignano as soon as Mario equipped me with the proper equipment— A sword strapped to my hip, some throwing knifes attached to my belt, and a small dagger against the sturdy boots that Mario gave to me. Although he was concerned for my safety, he didn't strap a chest guard or spaulders onto me. I had trained without them, and he thought that it would be best if I fought more comfortably tonight.

I didn't have a clue what I was suppose to do when we got there, but I figured that Mario would devise a plan later. When Mario and I walked out of the villa and down the stairs into the small town, I silently looked back over my shoulder.

I saw Ezio's silhouette upon the Villa's roof, his uncovered face turned up towards the sky, the fading sun light peeping over the mountains glinting off of his dark hair and white clothing.

_And I had once hoped_... I thought sadly, and then turned to follow Mario through the town. Outside the town gate, there were several men waiting for Mario and I, handing over the reigns of some horses. In a rush, one of them shoved me the reigns of a chestnut horse, patting me on the shoulder and wishing me good luck.

Frozen, I waited until Mario looked down at me from upon his horse.

"What is the matter, Narina?" he asked with worry.

"I, uh..." I started slowly. "I don't think I know how to ride a horse..."

Mario smiled and shook his head. "It's simple, really. Just jump on and use the reigns to control the horse's direction. And just use your heels to make it go faster, eh?"

I sighed, and turned back to the horse. "Easier said than done," I muttered, reaching up to grab the saddle horn, placing my left foot into the stirrup. Since I had spent the last two years climbing buildings, my upper body strength was up to top shape, and I hoisted myself up with ease onto the saddle, swinging my right leg across the back of the horse to place in the other stirrup. I adjusted myself gingerly, holding back the whimpers of uneasiness as the horse shifted on it hoofs. Mario simply watched in amusement, merely holding back the chuckles only to not make me feel bad.

Finally, I was sturdy enough upon the saddle, and Mario nodded to me when he saw that I was ready. With a few deep breath and a few nervous kicks, I was soon following after Mario on a galloping horse. I found that it was much easier to stay in the saddle when I used my thighs to grip onto my seat. Much to my pleasure, riding a horse was much easier than I had anticipated.

Soon after we left Monteriggioni, a group of Mario's men met up with us, and we continued on our way towards San Gimignano. I had gotten a few looks from some of the mercenaries, like they were shocked a woman was coming on the mission, but a few had seen my progress back at the Villa, and they gave me glances of respect.

It maybe took about two hours and a half to get to San Gimignano, so it was dark when we got there, the moon peeping through the clouds in the sky. Mario stopped the party on the outskirts of the city near the eastern gate. I didn't realize how weak my legs felt from the long horse ride until I hopped down from the saddle. My legs very nearly dropped out from under me, and I was lucky to have one of Mario's mercenaries nearby for I made a quick grab at his sleeve to steady my balance.

"This is it, men," Mario started as I quietly apologized to the mercenary. "Tonight is the night where we will stop and end this man and his reign of terror. Let us all move swiftly and may our blades strike true. Some of us may fall tonight and some of us will wish it would have never happened. But know, _i miei amici _(my friends), that we do it for the greater good." The men all crowded around Mario nodded and murmured in agreement. It was sad to watch them all turn to their neighbor, wishing them good luck and even saying their goodbyes, like they knew that they were going to die.

That must have been what it took to be a true fighter, to be an Assassin.

Maybe I was going to die tonight, and although I knew it was for a greater cause, was it okay for me to feel scared? To feel regret? I was sharply reminded that I had never gotten to say goodbye to Federico, Petruccio, or Giovanni all those years ago. And did I really want to leave without saying goodbye to Ezio? Just because he could leave me without a farewell didn't mean that I was cold enough to disregard his existence.

"Narina." Mario's voice suddenly cut me off, and I shook out of my thoughts and looked up at him.

"Yes?"

"Since you specialize in climbing, I want you to scale the wall and get into the city." He pointed in the general area of the gate. "Once you're inside, I want you to go open the gate to let my men and I in. After that, we search out for Vieri. Understand?"

I nodded. "_Si_."

Mario reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder, staring at me with his knowing eyes. "If it comes to it, do not think twice to kill anyone in order to defend yourself."

Hesitation slowed my second nod, but I knew that it was true. I understood that if my life was on the line, that I would have to defend it and maybe even kill. _They deserve to die_, I thought to myself, but still felt a little hesitant, like it wasn't my place to say such things.

"Okay, now go— we'll try and make a distraction for you at the gate so not many guards will be in your way."

"Alright."

I gave Mario a long look, reaching up to grab his shoulder like he always did with me. Biting my lip, I gave him a nod, trying to tell him with my eyes 'good luck and goodbye', for I couldn't find the words to speak aloud. Before we all headed out, Mario and I glanced back over our shoulders, just to see if Ezio was here...

But no figure was on the road, even as far as the flat road allowed us to see. Mario sighed deeply, and gave the word to start the attack. I waited until Mario turned to me as his mercenaries all started to run towards the gates. He gave me a quick wink before turning and running with his men.

I swallowed back my fear, and watched for the men to start attacking the guards by the gate before I began to run towards the wall surrounding the town. I found a part of the wall that had started to fall apart, leaving a big gap for me to pull myself up and into the town. Taking a deep breath before making a running start towards the wall, I skillfully shifted my weight about me so that it was easier to climb— Ezio taught me that this was how he carried me around everywhere. I closed my eyes against the image of the bright sunny day with Ezio offering me his helping hands to teach me how to climb a building.

"Just forget him," I muttered to myself as I pull myself up the wall, reaching for the edge of the broken wall. "If he can do it, so can't you. You've always been better than him. At everything!"With the little pep talk to myself, I was all pumped up by the time I was through the gap in the wall and dropping down into the city's streets.

I glanced around, checking to see if the coast was clear before I made my way towards the gates entrance. Before I broke from the shadows of the buildings, I stopped and assessed the amount of guards that were on the inside of the gate. There were at least half a dozen men, and I wasn't about to take them all on. I needed a distraction— the fighting outside of the gate wasn't exactly holding the attention of the guards on the inside, and that created a problem for everything.

After looking at all my options, which all finished with dead ends, I took a hold of my bravery and sucked in a deep breath. _For the Auditore name, I can't stop now!_ I took a hold of my sword handle, knowing somewhere in the back of my mind that this gate was only going to open by my hand...or Ezio's. I paused for a moment, considering the thought that Ezio was supposed to be here for this, not I. I had been right every time before about these weird feelings of mine, but why were they suddenly wrong?

Although my questions were suddenly vast and wide, I shook them away with a toss of my head, and prepared myself again for the upcoming battle.

_On three,_ I told myself. _One...two..._ I put myself in a 'prepare to run' stance, and took another deep breath.

Before I could start counting again, the guards were running about in a panic, twisting the mechanism that lowered and opened the gate. Once the gate was opened, they all rushed through and engaged in the battle with Mario and his mercenaries.

I stood still in the shadows, frozen.

Well, _that_ wasn't supposed to happen. But if that _wasn't_ supposed to happened, then what was it that I had been anticipating? That Ezio had to open the gate? However, whatever the case, I was still shocked that things weren't going the way I thought they would take course...and that was bad, wasn't it?

With a quick shake of my head, I breached from the buildings shadows and ran towards the gate, drawing my sword from it's sheath to start the battle. A couple of guards from the brawl spotted me, and ran towards me, their swords above their heads in a preparation to strike. Recalling the blocking training with Ezio, I quickly raised my sword and deflected their swings, making them recoil and fall back a few feet.

I smirked at them, feeling the adrenaline pump through me. "Bring it on," I mocked, wriggling my finger at them.

One of them growled and lunged at me, swinging his sword down upon me. I dodged to the right, trying to find an opening from his swing, but the other man was already attacking me, distracting me from my opportunity to strike. They were double-teaming me, so I couldn't take the chance to attack their openings and I had to keep my defensive stance. However with one hard swing from one of the guards, my sword was sent flying over my head and I was suddenly unprotected, knocked down to one knee.

They took the chance and lifted their swords to strike their last time to finish me off. With a small grasp of knowledge of the small blade against my boot, I grabbed it quickly and stabbed at the closest man, delving the blade into his upper thigh until the small hilt stopped it and I quickly pulled it out. Blood spewed out of the gash and the man screamed loudly, gripping at his leg as if to stop the pain. Before I could even think about what I had just done, some of Mario's mercenaries attacked the other man fighting me. The guard in front of me had a sword breaching through his stomach, blood staining his clothing, pooling in a large spot. The sword was pulled out, the man fell, and Mario was standing in his place, looking down at me. He sheathed his sword quickly and reached down to help me up.

"_Lei è giusto _(Are you okay)_?_" He asked.

"_Si_, I'm fine," I claimed, then looked out upon the battle field, seeing not only many dead guards, but also a few from our side were lying on the ground, their faces frozen and their eyes cold, staring up into the sky forever. I swallowed back a wave of suddenly hysteria. It had been two years since I had seen death like this and it still made me feel uncomfortable. One of the familiar faces among the dead was the face of the man that I had held onto when I had nearly fell after getting off my horse.

"_Andiamo_,(Let's go)" Mario said, bringing me out of my clouded thoughts, and I gave him a nod, lifting my foot sideways to place the short blade back in it's sheath. We turned away from the carnage and ran into the town. It wasn't long until more guards were facing us, challenging us with their drawn swords.

Mario took a hold of my shoulder. "Narina, there isn't much time. We'll go on ahead and take care of the guards— you take to the roofs and see if you can't find Vieri, _bene?_"

"_Bene."_ Without another look, I ran and pulled myself up the nearest building, placing my feet against a small ridge between the buildings upper and lower levels, gripping onto a small window sill. With a few quick pulls and heaves, I was upon the roofs, running across the darkened tiles glinting lightly in the moonlight. I tried to keep my profile low, checking to see if there were any guards on the streets below me before I would jump from one roof to another, casting a quick shadow on the lower ground. I headed towards the southern part of town, keeping my eye out for the distasteful man named Vieri. I hadn't seen him since that one day two years before, but I hadn't forgotten his face.

Near the southern gate, I saw a group of dark clothed men. I crouched down on the roof to hide myself better, although I was at a high point and the chances of them seeing me were very unlikely. I tried to calm my breathing for running about the rooftops set my lungs on fire. As I looked down upon the group of men, I recognized Vieri immediately among them, wearing the same hat that he had been years before. Another man that was familiar was one dressed in a dark robe, and I knew that hood anywhere.

_Rodrigo Borgia_, I thought in a sour tone, his name spilling out of the darkness in my mind. I still remembered his face behind Uberto Alberti that one night years ago and also from the execution platform as Giovanni and his sons dropped to their death. I sneered at the figure in disgust. I should have known that he was all a part of this too.

I couldn't hear all of their conversation, but I hear the words 'bring them together again' and after all nodding to each other, 'may the father of understanding guide us.' Three from the four turned around towards the gate, about to leave, when a group of guards came running up to Vieri, who had stayed behind.

"Mario Auditore has infiltrated the city, _signore_."

Vieri's shoulders shook as he chuckled, then he said something back to the other three men before addressing his guards. They nodded and ran off while Vieri disappeared behind a tall building, walking through the small alleyways.

I decided to trail him, waiting until the other three men were long out of the city before lowering myself down to the ground to follow him on foot. I had lost sight of him through the winding walkways, but when I did catch sight of Vieri again, he was climbing upon the city walls, heading up towards a tower reaching out into the sky.

"What the hell?" I murmured to myself, keeping hidden in the shadows. "He's practically cornering himself!" I could have followed him and killed him, but something was fishy. Why was he climbing so high in a place without an easy escape? Perhaps, judging on the way Vieri held himself, he thought himself too strong to be beaten...maybe it was to gain an advantage from being upon higher grounds. But even that had a flaw, for I'm sure Vieri knew that assassin's could climb very well.

Before I could ponder on the question much longer, Mario and his mercenaries rushed into the plaza before the tower Vieri was upon.

"Get them!" Vieri screamed loudly, and many guards appeared from the shadows and started to attack Mario and his men.

I took a deep breath when I realized that I was the only one who could stop this madness now. Mario and his men were much too busy with the guards now, and I wasn't about to go distract Mario by asking him what I should do now.

_Let's finish this and go home_, I thought to myself, climbing up a nearby building with the help of some sturdy crates. I had forgotten to grab my sword when I got it knocked out of my hands earlier, so the small blade was going to have to do. Taking to a full sprint, I jumped from the roof and onto the wall that surrounded the town, gripping onto the edge and quickly pulling myself up.

Vieri had seen me, and was trying to tell his guards to stop me. All of his sources, however, were busy fending off Mario and his mercenaries, giving me enough time to scale to tower Vieri was upon. I grinned as I pulled myself up with low grunts, almost wanting to chuckle. _I bet he's regretting climbing up on a tower like this!_ I thought with glee. I was reminded of how much I didn't like Vieri, and I felt a pulse of power course through my body, branching out from the core in my stomach. I got a second wind and started to pull myself up the tower faster, looking up to see Vieri staring down over the edge at me.

To my surprise, he was smiling down at me. "Well, look what you've been up to these past two years," he commented with a sneeringly grin. "A woman giving her hand to the Assassins."

I had gotten to the top and Vieri was slowly retreating backwards as I perched myself upon the edge of the towers lip, pulling out the short blade strapped to my calf. I gave him a mocking smirk. "For you information, Vieri, I'm no Assassin...yet."

Vieri laughed, raising his arms as if to beckon a challenge. "And I'm your first kill, hm? Try it, _bella singore_."

I could see that he was doubting my skills, and I felt another course of energy flow through me. I hopped down from the towers lip and stood in front of Vieri menacingly. I took a mental note that there were suppose to be guards up here with him...but once again, my feelings were wrong. Pushing the thought aside, I focused on Vieri, who was staring silently at me, a mocking smile pulling his lips upwards. I crouched down lightly, giving myself a better stance before twisting the short blade in my hand to position the back of the blade against my wrist to create an easier position to place against flesh and then easier to pull quickly and slice through. His neck was my target...an easy kill.

To my surprise, Vieri didn't fight back when I jumped upon him, knocking him down onto his back. He just looked up at me with a smirk, daring me to kill him with his eyes. I pressed the blade to his neck, prepared to slice his throat and end him.

But suddenly, I couldn't move. The flows of energy flowing from inside me dispersed, and I found that I couldn't kill Vieri, no matter how much I hated him. _Move!_ I screamed mentally at myself. _Finish him!_ However upset in my mind, I felt my face loosen into a confused disbelief. I stared into Vieri's dark eyes, and despite how much the depths of his eyes pissed me off and made me want to make them dull and daze...

I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill him. The reason that I couldn't move and also the fact I wasn't use to seeing death, I just felt like it wasn't my job to take it all away from him.

Vieri's saw my hesitation and took the opportunity to kick me off of him, sending me flying back off of him and rolling across the hard surface of the tower,losing a hold of my short blade and hitting my head against the stone rim. I groaned and immediately lifted my hand to hold the place I had hit my head against. Vieri stood and reached for the short blade that I had dropped and walked over to me, kneeling next to me while I tried to sit up, well aware of the pounding pain in the back of my head. Before I could react to Vieri's closeness, he took a hold of the front of my tunic and pushed me back against the rim of the tower, pressing my own blade against me throat.

"Such a shame, such a shame," Vieri mocked, looking me in the eyes. "I was hoping that it wouldn't have to come to this." He pressed the blade harder against my skin, laughing when I flinched. "No worries, though- I'll reunite you with your 'family'." I tried to regain my anger at him, but I felt suddenly drained and tired, and I closed my eyes, preparing for my death.

A moment passed before Vieri snorted under his breath, and then the blade was pulled away from my skin. I looked up in shock at him, wondering why he wasn't killing me. With a more confused look on his face than I had on my own face, he was shaking his head. "I can't believe it...we've been wrong all this time," he whispered, staring intently at me.

"What are you talking about?" I finally whispered, finding my voice. My hand had found it's way back to my skull.

Vieri's attention was suddenly focused on something else, a fearful gleam sparking in his eye. He took a step back in retreat, but before he could turn around, something flew over me, casting a dark shadow over me like the eagles did when they hovered above in the sky. In a flash of white, Vieri was down on the ground again, a man dressed in white robes on top of him, holding a blade to his throat. I stared in a daze at the man hovering over Vieri.

"What are you and your allies planning?" The man demanded in a growl, the voice making me shudder. "Is this why my father was killed!"

Vieri chuckled, and looked over at me under the man's arms. "Whatever you heard won't be a good enough answer, Ezio, and I won't give you any more of a confession."

Ezio pressed the blade into Vieri's throat,spilling the blood all over Vieri's neck that ran along the curve around to drip to the ground. Ezio took a hold of the mans collar, shaking the now dead man with vigor._"Pezzo di merda!"_He screamed in pure anger._ "Vorrei solo che avessi sofferto di piu! Hai avuto la fin che meritavi! __Spero che bru-_ (Piece of shit! I only wished you'd suffered more! You met the fate you deserved! I hope yo-)"

Another figure dropped into the tower, and immediately ran over to Ezio, pulling at his shoulder. "That's enough Ezio!" It was Mario. "Show some respect for the dead!"

"Respect!" Ezio spat in disgust, staring up at Mario. "Do you think he would have showed us such kindness!"

"You are _not_ Vieri," Mario said gruffly, kneeling over near Vieri. "Do not become him." I finally stopped rubbing my head, the pain slowly subsiding and I looked at my fingers instinctively to see if there was any blood upon them. I was glad to see that they were clean. I looked back over to Mario and Ezio over the dead body, Mario using his hand to close Vieri's eyelids forever. "_Che la morte ti dia la pace che cercavi (_May death provide the peace you sought)," Mario said in a kind and understanding tone. "_Requiescat in Pace (_Rest in Peace)."

Ezio looked up from the dead body and over to me. While Mario stood and went to the edge and looked down upon all his men to announce that it was over, Ezio walked over to me, kneeling down on one knee to look me in the eyes.

"Narina," he said above the erupting cheers from the mercenaries. His brown eyes were deep with concern and a slight shade of anger. I was mesmerized momentarily by the depth his eyes spoken, and I once again felt like I was being drained. He reached out and took a hold on my shoulder as if to shake me out of my daze. "Are you okay?" he asked.

A burst of power pulsed through my veins, and my hand clenched at my side. I swung my fist at his face, contacting his jaw with my knuckles, knocking him back. I hid the pain that I had received since his jaw was a lot harder than I had anticipated, and I stood up with the wall I had been knocked against. "You jackass," I spat at him distastefully. Ezio, holding his hand to his jaw, stared up at me in sadness, apparently knowing why I was mad at him.

I walked past him, and reached for the small blade that was still in Vieri's hand which was already becoming cold and hard. My eyes kept adverted from his limp figure as I placed the blade back in its small sheath.

When I stood back up, Mario reached out for me and pulled me to his side, having me look over down the tower at all of his men. We did have casualties— the number of them was noticeably smaller, but all that were still there were smiling and celebrating, giving each other hugs and congratulations.

I smiled lightly. We had done it. We had taken a small step closer to our goal. I raised my fist up into the air with a large grin. "The snake is dead! _Siamo vittoriosi!_(We are victorious!)" I yelled down to the men, who all erupted in loud cheers again.

* * *

**How many of you want a little bit of romance between Ezio and Narina next chapter? I DO!**

**Edit: Also, I'm going to put in a good word for my good friend SporkedGamer. She is writing an epic 2012 Assassin's Creed fanfic with her own OC, and although it may seem like it's just like all the other stories out there, I promise you it is not! She has put so much heart and thought into her story and it is a precious gem. I highly recommend that y'all go check it out! It's called 'Broken Savior' and it's just Epic.**

Thanks again, and I love to recieve reviews! :3


	11. Dealing With the Past

** I just got done watching this commercial that was all saying 'when we play a good game, we'll stay up all night, skip a meal...or three, close the blinds and ignore the outside world, ect.' Well, the sad thing about it was that I was totally agreeing with all of it! X) Yay me! Also...I am proud to announce that I will be receiving ASSASSIN'S CREED RENAISSANCE in the mail here in a few days...so, yeah, that's exciting. X3  
This is another uber long chapter- just like the old days! :3 My longest so far, so I'm sorry in advance for all those who don't like long chapters. But I was so excited for this chapter that I wrote it...in THREE days! :3 So...it might suck. But whatever. Enjoy anyways.  
**

**Thanks for reviewing!:**

**lighttan117: haha Maybe I WILL make Ezio have a sob story then. :3**

**CreativeChica39: Thanks. Action isn't my forte.**

**Gray Wolf Demon: I know- I liked the whole 'snake' idea thing as well!**

**Nightshade07: haha Yeah...can't tell you what Vieri meant because it is indeed a spoiler. X3 Sorry. Well, technically, she sort of is but isn't since they agreed for it not to be like that. Besides, there's no blood relation between them, so I think it's okay.  
**

**Popdude125: Thank you so much for the review! I know I'm a bad speller and whatnot, but I've been trying recently to clean it up. :3**

**Dawn Gray Manson: ha, I loved your little chant. :3 It made me smile.**

**napanapa: haha Sorry- the whole bunch of romance doesn't start for quite a bit more chapters. But this one has a bit of romance. :3**

**Dragon's-Maidens: Thank you so much for saying such a thing! :3 The funny thing about the whole 'she's not a Mary Sue', I just barely took a test to see if Narina actually was a Mary Sue. Funny you'd mention it. :3 Federico is pretty amazing. **

**pinkrollingstone: Yes, yes... :3 Very Sexy Ezio.**

**Acro111: I know, Narina is just a poor lost soul. X3**

**Kagekitsonegal: haha Lemme guess— Ezio? Haha Thanks! :3**

**Lemme thank SporkedGamer for the information on the whole grave situation. X3 I would be lost without her.**

* * *

_My words, they don't come out right,_

_but I'll try to say 'I'm happy for you.'..._

_Just make it go away._

_Make it go away, please._

_-'Congratulations' by Blue October_

* * *

_**Chapter 10: Dealing With the Past**_

On the way back to Monteriggioni, Mario and the remaining mercenaries went ahead of Ezio and I, showing their excitement with large smirks and quick kicks to their horses sides to make the beasts run. It wasn't long before Ezio and I were long behind the rest of the group, Mario staying long enough behind to tell us he was going ahead as well.

I wasn't in the mood to join in the celebration ride— I was still miffed about the whole 'not being able to kill Vieri' thing. Ezio stayed behind with me because I knew that he wanted to talk to me, judging by the looks he kept throwing at me from upon his horse on the other side of the path from me.

When Mario and his men were all but just dots down the road, Ezio veered his horse over towards me.

"Narina," he started, reaching up to lower his hood. The bright moon rays lit up his face, glinting slightly off of his dark hair.

Giving him a sideways glance, I said nothing, but didn't veer away from him like I almost wanted to.

"Look, I know you have every reason to be mad at me right now..." He trailed off, rubbing his forehead.

"You're right," I said. "I _am_ mad at you." Sniffing, I rubbed at my nose and looked at Ezio to the side of me. "But my attention is otherwise occupied at the moment. I'm afraid I'm going to have to be mad at you another time."

Ezio huffed out and his lips were pulled up into a smile suddenly. "I'm going to take that as your acceptance of my apology."

I growled "You didn't even apologize in the first place!"

Ezio gave me an innocent look. "Yes I did."

"Ugh, now your lying! That puts more anger in the reserve tanks!" I looked back forward, kicking the horse to prod it to move faster.

The young assassin followed in suite, and was still riding along side me. "So what's on your mind now that it quells your anger at me?"

I ignored him for a moment, keeping my gaze forward and my lips twisted together, pretending to focus on riding the horse. For some reason, I didn't want to tell him, like I was scared he would use the weakness against me.

"Narina." He said in an expectant tone. "Tell me."

"Fine," I mumbled. "I had a chance, Ezio. Back in San Gimignano, I had a chance to kill Vieri before you showed up and took the prize." I paused for a moment, turning to gaze at Ezio again, who was staring intently at me. "But I couldn't do it."

Ezio sighed and smiled warmly at me. "Killing someone is never easy, Narina."

I shifted uncomfortably in my saddle, trying to give Ezio a more serious stare. "Then why did it only take you a few seconds to kill Vieri?"

"Well," Ezio started. "I really, really hated Vieri. That's always a plus when you're planning on killing someone."

I gave Ezio a harsh look. "I hated Vieri too— I still couldn't do it."

Ezio shrugged. "I've hated him for many more years than you have— besides, he was bothering my uncle and is in alliance with our enemies. He needed to die."

"And I believe that!" I said in exasperation. "But I _still couldn't do it,_ Ezio! When I went to slit his throat, I couldn't even move, no matter how hard I tried! It was like a force was holding me back. And even when Vieri went to kill me, assaulted me, I couldn't even fight back!"

Ezio gave me a hard look, seriousness flooding his expression. "Did he do anything to you?"

I pouted, not liking how Ezio was acting like my situation was nothing. "He tried to kill me!" I repeated, wondering why he thought that wasn't enough.

Ezio was shaking his head slowly. "I mean, did he put his hands on you?"

I thought back on it. "He only grabbed my shirt." I gave him a long, confused look. "Why do you care?"

With a grunt, Ezio explained "Knowing Vieri, I'm surprised he didn't try to rape you while he was at it."

In a split second, I quickly leaned over in my seat and pushed my fist hard into Ezio's arm. "I swear to God, Ezio, is sex the only constant on your mind?"

"Oh, is being a _bitch_ the only constant on _your_ mind!" Ezio shot back, a challenging grin on his face.

With a sharp look thrown at Ezio, I suddenly realized that I hadn't had a competition with Ezio in a long while. But I reminded myself that I was still mad at him and I wanted to punish him somehow.

"Whatever," I replied, giving the horse another kick to move faster. "Let's not start this today."

It all happened so fast. One moment I was upon my horse, trotting along all innocently, when suddenly I was being thrown backwards as my horse reared. I landed on my backside, knocking the breath out of me while ramming my already sore head against the hard ground. I groaned loudly and reached up to clasp at my head.

"_Merda_(Shit)!" There was another loud thud, then pounding footstep approached me. Ezio was soon hovering over me, lifting me up to lean against one up his propped up legs. "Shit, I didn't think that would have happened. Are you okay Narina?"

I gave Ezio a death glare. "You fucking did this, you son of a bitch?" I tried to push at him, but my head was still spinning from the impact.

"I'm sorry," Ezio said in pure sincerity. "Don't move." Even though I was considering unleashing my wrath upon him, I took note of how much my head hurt and also how comforting Ezio's hold felt on me. Ezio shifted me around so that I was leaning against his chest.

"I hit my head, Ezio," I snapped. "You don't have to cradle me like I'm a wanton _puttana!"_

"This isn't how I cradle wanton whores, Narina," Ezio said back with a grin. "I can show you how I actually do, though."

With a jab of my elbow to his ribs, I sneered "Don't worry about that— where the hell is my horse?" The problem was that my horse was no where in sight.

Ezio chuckled nervously. "Uh...it ran away." He pointed down the long road, and after taking a moment to find where he was pointing exactly, I saw a dark, large figure, speeding away down the long line.

I sighed. "Well that's just great. What the hell am I suppose to do now?"

Ezio smiled down at me, and it was all too charming. I knew that he had something perverted on his mind.

A while later, I was sitting behind Ezio in the small saddle, my arms wrapped tightly around his waist. He had offered for me to ride in front of him with a large grin and wink, but that resulted in him getting a good slap and a sharp 'you're disgusting'. Ezio didn't waste the opportunity though— he prodded the horse to run into a gallop so that I had to hold for my dear life onto Ezio, pressing my face against his leather chest armor.

So I was stuck with the smell of sweat and leather the whole horse ride home. But it really wasn't too bad- I soon found that I liked the man-like smell. I had laughed lightly at myself, finding it funny that I was actually liking the smell of sweat, and more specifically, Ezio's sweat...which I found even more odd.

Even with the rocking of the horse and the loud hoof beats of the horse, I snuggled into Ezio's back and let my eyes close shut, enjoying everything about the moment for the first time in a long time. I even forgot about my anger with Ezio for a moment.

"Hey, Narina," Ezio said back to me. When I opened my eyes I noticed that the horse had slowed down. I looked up Ezio's back to find him staring at me over his shoulder.

Realizing that he had seen me snuggling so lovingly into him, I blushed and leaned back away from him, letting my hands rest on his sides. "What?" I responded quietly but firmly.

Ezio looked forward again, knowing he had my attention. "About what you said about the 'not being able to kill Vieri' thing...the one thing that I keep in mind is that some people have to die in order for things to change." He took a deep breath. "It's not always easy, you know. Even when you think you hate their very soul, you still want to hesitate."

I adverted my gaze to the country side now slowly passing us, the horse now walking and heaving under me. "But it's all for a greater good."

Ezio looked back and smiled at me. "_Si_. To change this corrupted world." Ezio reached forward and patted the horses neck. "Sorry about your horse, Narina. I was just trying to have fun."

I sighed, and gave Ezio's back a quick pat. "I know Ezio— you're _always_ trying to have fun." Ezio looked back at me, grinning, giving the horse one last pat and rub before sitting straight up again.

"So you forgive me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Not yet."

"What?" Ezio looked back at me shocked. "Why not?"

I raised an eyebrow, pouting at him. "You weren't even going to tell me."

Ezio froze, then quickly turned around, not saying anything. Instead, he kicked into the horses sides to move faster. I shook my head before wrapping my arms back around Ezio when I almost fell off of the saddle.

* * *

We didn't say anything else the whole ride back to Monteriggioni. As soon as Ezio pulled on the horses reigns for it to stop at the stables near the entrance of the town, I jumped off of the horse and started to head through the town without waiting for Ezio.

When I walked up the stairs, I found Mario and all of his men standing around with foaming drinks, smiling and chattering loudly.

Mario turned and spotted me, grinning widely. "Ah, Narina, there you are!" he greeted, walking up to me and throwing his arm around my shoulder. "What took you so long? We were worried you and _Nipote _were intercepted on the road- possibly killed."

I rolled my eyes and pulled away from his hold. "Oh nothing- Ezio just almost killed me."

Mario boomed with laughs. "And how did he do that,_ singorina?_"

"Scared the shit out of my horse and made it buck me off— I swear, one more hit to my head tonight, and my brains will fall out."

Still seeing the humor in it, Mario laughed again, clapping me on the shoulder. "Ah, that boy has a strange way of flirting!"

I didn't want to argue with Mario on the subject any longer— knowing the Auditore family, he wasn't going to let go of his side very easily. So I just rolled my eyes and folded my arms. When Ezio came up the stairs, Mario announced him as the Hero of the day. All the men cheered, raising their mugs into the air.

Ezio smirked at all of them, then turned to Mario. "I'm sorry, uncle, that I couldn't see my duties before. If you would forgive me, I'd like to start this."

Mario grinned back at his nephew. "Of course Ezio. Come, I want to show you something your father and I were working on years ago." They started to walk towards the Villa. Without an invitation, I followed them, planning on getting my 'sorry' from Ezio as well.

Mario walked us into the small room that looked to be a study and an architect room, a large, small scale version of Monteriggioni on a table. We walked through a small hall leading to Mario's office. There, he turned towards the wall, gesturing with his arm.

"This is something your father and I worked on for year, Ezio."

I looked up at the wall covered with a few pieces of paper, purposely running into Ezio with my elbow. "I've always wondered what these were," I said to Mario, glancing over at him.

Mario nodded. "You see, these are codex pages that Giovanni and I managed to collect over the years before he left for _Firenze_."

I looked at Ezio. "Don't you have one?"

Ezio looked down at me, but before he could say anything, Mario immediately looked at Ezio. "Do you really, n_ipote?_ Well, show it to me!"

Ezio nodded. "Right. It's up in my room." Ezio left room and came back a minute later, jumping over the railing above us and landing next to Mario, holding out the scroll that was with Giovanni's blade and bracer. Mario unrolled it, looking it over. "Hm...this isn't your fathers work," Mario noted, looking back up to Ezio.

"No, a friend decoded it for us- Leonardo Da Vinci."

"Hmm...I see. Nonetheless, it's adds to our collection. If you wouldn't mind, _n__ipote_, I would be pleased if you kept and eye out for these codex pages." Mario went and pinned the paper up upon the wall.

I walked up to the wall to look at the lowest page. "What exactly are these?" I asked, noting that all of the pages that were up on the wall consisted of drawings and what looked like journal entries almost, only they were old and tearing around the edges.

"Ah, _Si_, Narina, these are reports and thoughts left behind by one of the best master assassins in History. Our great ancestor, Altair."

"Altair?" I looked at Mario with a confused look, feeling a weird knot in my stomach. I recalled that I had spoken that name to Giovanni all those years ago. "He's the one that created the new order during the holy crusades that's still being used today, right?"

Mario looked at me, almost in shock. "Right." He hesitated, thinking for a moment. "Come on, you two, I want to show you something." Mario gestured us to follow him to the back off his office towards one of the bookshelves. He pressed in a tile next to the bookshelf, and with a loud noise of scraping metal, the bookshelf moved slowly aside, revealing a stairway leading down in a block like spiral. It reminded me of Giovanni's secret room and I almost smiled at the thought that the senior Auditore brothers were very much alike.

"_Che cos´é_(what is this)?" Ezio asked in awe.

"Come and see for yourself."

In a silence, we followed Mario down the long line of the stairs, stepping on the marble flooring quietly. We turned one last corner in the twisting staircase and a square archway revealed a large room, lit up by the sun coming through a metal grid high above the room. When I looked up at the grid, I realized that it was the same one that was in the back courtyard. I had always wondered what was beyond it's foreboding bars.

My eyes widened when I realized what was in the room. Seven statues were placed around the room, the one in the middle, also at the head of the room, was behind a cage like structure, locked by six seals. The statues were all crafted masterfully and beautifully, a legitimate structure of whom they were portraying.

Mario let Ezio and I marvel for a minute, standing upon the small rotunda above the room before gesturing us to follow him again. He took us by all the statues, explaining who they were and why they held such an important place in the hall of the Assassins.

We all stopped at the statue in the middle, looking up through the bars. There was a set of armor before the mighty figure, the cloth mostly black and heavy looking, but clearly effective. The statue was sculpted into a man poised in a broad stance, his face covered by his assassin hood even in his stone rendering. By the way the artist had made his shoulders pulled back and his feet set a shoulder width distance apart, you didn't have to be told to know that this man was a proud figure.

"It's Altair," I mumbled, staring intently at the shadows on the statue's face.

"_Si_, Altair ibn La-Ahad, the Auditore's ancestor, the founder of the new order that we use even today. He was the assassin who held the piece of Eden, the apple."

I felt a tug in my chest and I looked over at Mario. "The piece of Eden?" I asked in a doubtful tone, although I had no idea why I felt so strongly about it.

Mario nodded. "_Si_, the pieces of Eden are objects that are able to create things that one thought were impossible. It gives man power- the power to control others to their every desire. They're extremely dangerous tools that can be horrifically misused in the wrong hands."

I glanced back up at Altair's statue. "Tools, huh?" I whispered.

Ezio was looking at the statue again now. "How do I get that armor, _z__io_ (uncle)?"

Mario gestured to all of the other statues. "Notice how the seals below all the other statues are empty." Ezio and I looked around the room to observe the blank, round faces under each statue. "The seals are in their assassin's tombs, which are scattered all across Italia. I spent a lot of my younger days looking for them, but...I never found one, and I can't go about it now. I'm not exactly in the best shape of my life!" Mario patted his stomach then started to laugh.

I turned back to Ezio. "We should look for them," I commented. "I think I can find where they are."

Ezio was skeptical. "Uncle spent his whole youth looking for them, Narina- what are the chances that you'll find them?"

I tapped on the side of my head, giving Ezio a 'duh' look. "My memory, _idiota._"

"What- you've been to the Assassin Tombs before?" He was mocking me now.

"Obviously, if I know that there is at least two in _Firenze_." I sighed and let it go. "Just wait- you'll see."

Chuckling and still mocking me, Ezio brushed past me and started to leave the room. Mario gave me a quick wink before turning and walking with Ezio. I made another look up at Altair, feeling the urge to hug the statue if I could. But I shook away the weird feeling and followed Ezio and his uncle out of the Assassin Hall.

When we were back in Mario's office, he snapped his fingers as if he remembered something. "Ah, right!" He went over to his desk and starting to dig through all of the papers on his desk, picking up a scroll and handing it over to Ezio.

"What is this?" Ezio asked, taking the scroll.

"Another Codex page- we found it in Vieri's things and I couldn't help but take it."

Ezio opened up the scroll and we both looked over it.

"Unfortunately," Mario continued. "It still has to be deciphered. I was hoping you could take it to your friend who decoded the first one for you."

A sudden rush of excitement bolted through me and I turned to Ezio with a smile. "We get to go see Leonardo! _Dio, sono passati anni!_(God, it's been years!)_"_

"And while we're there, we'll take care of the other man's name on my list: Francesco de Pazzi."

"Vieri's father?" I asked, recognizing the name.

Mario reached out and took a hold of our shoulders. "Be careful. This is dangerous work that you two are heading into." Mario's warning reminded me that I was still upset over the whole 'Ezio not telling me he was leaving' thing, and I was once again mad.

"Right," I mumbled, throwing Ezio a glare.

When he turned to me, he ignored my evil look and said "We leave for _Firenze_ in the morning. Let's get as much sleep as we can." The night was already more that halfway over, so I reluctantly agreed with him. With a goodnight to both of them, I went upstairs to my room and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

* * *

Our trip was delayed by a week. Ezio had insisted that I get some armor to wear due to the fact that I couldn't kill anyone and I would just have to defend myself until Ezio killed them for me. Since all of the armor at the fabricators were much too large for my size, I had to get a custom fit which would take a while. Another problem was Claudia-she was pissed that they weren't leaving. After a few days of a 'family' argument, Claudia was finally put to work to keep track of the towns finances. Ezio was in charge of bringing in enough money to fix up the town so we could get even more money. Once my armor was done and strapped on me, Ezio spent the next three days going through a few training sessions so that I could get used to the extra weight. It only took me a few tries to master climbing with the armor on.

That whole week I didn't get my 'sorry' from Ezio. I as either too busy or too tired to confront him about it.

* * *

Our departure day finally arrived. We packed as little as we needed too; our weapons and I brought a change of clothes. We bought larger pouches and then filled them with medicine supplies and bandages. We only had so much money at the moment- we had spent a good spell of our two year savings on renovating the town, now having a bank and (to Ezio's great pleasure) a brothel.

"Just what we need," I had said in disgust. "Drunk and horny men stumbling around town."

"As long as they're paying," Ezio had replied with a smirk.

We saddled up our horses, patting them down and making sure that they were well watered before we headed out. We swung ourselves into our saddles, and I proceeded to give Ezio a threats of what I would do if he even thought about knocking me off my horse today. He promised we wouldn't with a chuckle. We didn't waste anytime to get to Florence, but even on galloping horses, it took us about 6 hours to reach our destination. The sun was high up in the sky when Florence came into view, the hot rays beating down harshly upon us, making me regret wearing my black vest, and the leather chest armor was not helping much either.

When we dismounted our horses at the entrance stables, my thighs were all sweaty and sore, and I could even feel sweat drip down my back.

"God, it's hot," I complained, taking a hold of my shirt and waving it, airing myself out.

Ezio laughed at me. "Get use to it. _Niente lamentele_(No complaining)." He looked up to the sky, using his hand to cover his face. He was quiet while I stretched out my tired and aching muscles. "We made good time," Ezio claimed.

"Hm," I grunted in agreement, finishing stretching. I rubbed at my head. "Hey, while we're here...do you think we can visit Giovanni, Federico and Petruccio's graves?"

Ezio hesitated, adverting his gaze away from me, gazing to the mountains in the distance. He shrugged. "I guess," he whispered, then walked past the stables, walking along the outside of the city's wall. I followed behind him quickly.

"Where are we going?" I asked in confusion.

Ezio was still keeping his gaze away from me. "Since they were considered traitors, the city wouldn't allow them to be buried in the cemetery." Ezio huffed and shook his head. "Not that I would want them to be buried in such a city, anyways."

I was shocked. "But...you said that..."

"I gave them a proper burial. In a way."

Halting in my footsteps, I waited until Ezio stopped too,but he didn't turn to look back at me. "What do you mean, 'in a way'?" I asked, feeling a strange sort of rage. "Ezio, they were your_ family_! Your brothers and father! How can you just say 'in a way'!"

Ezio wasn't effected by my upset tone, judging by the way he calmly replied "Narina, I sent them to sea on burning boats."

A small silence settled between Ezio and I, a small breeze floating about us, making our clothes ripple in waves. I lowered my eyes, trying to recollect my thoughts.

"That way," Ezio continued in a small voice, "their ashes could be spread across the sea, so that they're aren't stuck in one place forever. They...always were the adventurous types."

I looked back up to Ezio, realizing with regret that I had falsely accused him of not caring about his family, and not choosing the right burial way. If I really thought about it, I knew as well that Giovanni wouldn't want him and his sons to be buried in the city that had betrayed them. Giovanni would have wanted them all to be free on the wind, buried within the depths of the sea's waves.

After a moment, I walked up next to Ezio. "So...can you take me to where you sent them off?"

Ezio looked down at me and nodded. "_Si._" He continued to walk around the wall, taking me to the river that passed through Florence and led out into the Mediterranean Sea. There was a cold breeze drifting up from the waters choppy surface. The bank that we were standing upon was damp from the lapping small waves.

In a silence, I closed my eyes, but wasn't sure if I could say a prayer. I had no idea what my religious beliefs were, I had never really thought about it, but none of that mattered. I mentally thanked all of them, told Petruccio that I was still trying my best to keep Ezio out of trouble, and I told Federico that, no matter what happened, I would always love him in some little way.

When I was done, I looked up to Ezio, who was still staring sadly at the depths of the water. I always liked the fact that I was short enough to be able to stare up into Ezio's hood and could see his eyes, no matter what. I leaned forward a bit, still looking up at him, trying to get his attention. He looked down at me, and without any words, we both nodded and turned to leave. I felt a sudden sympathy for him and reached out and rubbed his arm. I had been grieving so much myself when the family had died, so I had never taken the time to give Ezio my comfort. He acknowledged my effort with a smile and he led me back into the town.

Florence seemed to be the same way that we had left it in- the buildings were still tall, the people were still loud, and the sky was still blue. If I could have forgotten the past two years, I could truly imagine that everything was okay again. But I couldn't forget, and in a way, I didn't want to. I thought that it was better know who my enemies were than just to stumble around, clueless.

Ezio and I took a certain care to blend in with the crowds, just to be absolutely safe. Although we both knew how to fight now, it would be very unnecessary to start a fight and alert Francesco that we were in the city.

Even though we were on high alert, I could see that Ezio was glad to be "home" again. He would smile as he stared over all the buildings, obviously remembering his younger days. When the plazas became more familiar, I started to smile as well, realizing for once that it was kind of nice to live in your memories for a bit.

Snapping out of my daze, I realized that I was suddenly walking alone. I stopped and quickly turned around. Ezio was stopped in the middle of the street, staring up at a building with a faraway look in his eyes. I walked back up to him.

"Ezio, what are you doing?" I tugged on his sleeve.

He shook his head lightly, looking down at me, casting the shadow of his hood farther down his face. He smiled crookedly. "Sorry, it's nothing. Let's go." He brushed past me and started to walk away. I watched him for a moment, then looked back at the house. I wondered idly who could have lived there since the house didn't look familiar to me.

"Narina." I turned to look at Ezio again. He had turned and stared back at me, his arms folded.

"Who lives there?" I asked, pointing at the house.

"Nobody, forget it."

"Hm, you're getting defensive," I pointed out, looking back at the house. It suddenly hit me and I smiled. "Christina lives there!" I exclaimed, looking at Ezio.

He was already walking back towards me, reaching out and grabbing my arm and started to pull me away roughly. "Let's go," he grumbled.

"Hey, wait!" I objected, pulling back on Ezio's tug. "C'mon, Ezio, you haven't seen her in two years!"

"Exactly. She's probably forgotten me."

I was at a lost where the Ezio I knew went- I was expecting him to immediately rush into the house just to lay his old girlfriend and make her his current girlfriend again.

"Well, go in there and remind her."

"No, Narina. Just- no." Ezio seemed troubled.

"Ezio, didn't you tell me that she was the only one that you've ever had a serious relationship with?"

"Yes, but, Narina-"

"But what?" I cut him off, breaking free from his grasp. "I'm sure she'll forgive you for not saying anything if you just use that charming little smile of yours." Ezio was still shaking his head, reaching out to grab me again, but I dodged his reach. "If you don't go in, I'll go drag her out here," I threatened.

Ezio froze and looked at me, begging with his eyes to just let it pass. But I remembered that I was still waiting for my sorry, so I raised my eyebrows and him and gestured towards the house with a swing of my hand.

With a loud sigh, showing me his displeasure, Ezio took a hesitant step towards Cristina's house. "Hey, wait." I ran up in front of Ezio and stopped him, reaching up and pushing his hood down. "We don't want her to get scared by that hood of yours," I explained.

Ezio shifted awkwardly on his feet, his adams apple moving up as he swallowed. "Let's just not do this, Narina. Please."

God, from the way Ezio was pleading I thought for a moment that he was about to get on his knees to grovel. I wanted to slap him and scream in his face 'get a hold of yourself, man!'.

But I wanted to make him suffer, so I just winked at him and pushed him towards the door. "Come on, Ezio. I know you already have a pair, so put them to good use and suck it up."

"What?"

"Don't mind me, just go!" I gave him one last shove, then I crouched beside a small bush next to the archway that led to the house.

Ezio was staring down at me bewildered. "What are you doing?"

"If she sees me, she might get the wrong idea. Go on." I used my to swat at him, like he was a pesky fly.

Ezio sighed again, then started to walk slowly up to the door. I watched him through the bushes small branches and waited for him to knock on the door. But he didn't. He just stood in front of the door, staring up at the dark wood.

I gave him a few more minutes before sighing in annoyance, then I ran out from behind the bush to brush past Ezio to knock on the door myself. Before Ezio could whine to me, I booked it back to hide behind the bush, whispering a 'good luck!' before ducking down again, peering through the leaves.

Ezio, in a lost haze, stared at my hiding spot for a moment before turning slowly back to the door. A few more moments passed before the door opened, a dark haired woman in the frame. Defiantly Cristina- she was very beautiful.

She was clearly shocked. Her dark eyes widened and her mouth was opened agape. "Ezio?" She asked under her breath.

"_Ciao_, Cristina." Ezio's voice was barely audible to me. I had to strain my ears to listen to them.

"W...what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing." He took a deep breath. "It has been two years."

Cristina finally broke out in a smile. "It's so good to see you! I had thought for sure that you had died two years ago!"

As they started to talk more, I could see that Ezio was finally warming up to the situation. I did a small mental celebration, but it was short lived when a hot stab jabbed into my stomach. A few minutes passed when Ezio gave a quick run down of what he had been doing the past two years, which he had made up a wonderful story. Went to his uncles house, had a job as a fabricator, and things were all looking up for him.

When it was Cristina's turn to tell her story, she hesitated. "Well," she started, "I don't have an interesting story to tell like you have, but...I'm married now."

There went a punch to my stomach. She was _married_! Shit, what the hell was I doing to Ezio? I felt a stab of guilt...actually, more like _fifty_ stabs of guilt. Here I was, forcing Ezio to talk to his only actual and legit love when she was married! I bet he was devastated!

As I watched Ezio, I saw that he stiffened slightly again. "I...see."

Cristina quickly reached out a took a hold of Ezio's sleeve. "But Ezio, I want you to know, that I will always love you the most. This marriage was just an arranged marriage by my father." I seen her reach up to touch Ezio's jaw, and there was another jab in my stomach. "I love you so much, Ezio. I always will."

Ezio mumbled something back that I couldn't hear, then took a hold of Cristina's hand and pressed it to his lips. With a slight bow from Ezio, he turned on his heel and walked right on by me and my hiding spot. I waited until Cristina, who stared at Ezio with a sad look on her face for a moment, went back inside and closed the door behind her, before I jumped up from my hiding spot and chased down Ezio. He had stopped a little ways down the street to wait for me, but he didn't look at me when I approached.

"Ezio," I breathed lowly. "I'm...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you do that. I'm really sorry..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say exactly. For once, I wasn't satisfied by the torturing that I had given to Ezio— I just felt like a bitch now.

"It's okay," he finally whispered back, keeping his back to me. "I'm glad...that I got to see how she is."

I still felt like a jackass. "I'm sorry," I whispered again.

Ezio let a moment pass before he answered again. "In a way, I feel bad because she still loves me."

I looked up at him, shocked. "What?"

"I was...happy that she had gotten married, but I'm also a little happy that she still loves me." Ezio turned to look at me, his expression troubled and his eyes weary. "You see, Narina, I don't want Cristina to spend her life waiting for me, I don't want her to have to go through the life that I have to. That's why I was happy when she told me she was married- I thought that she was moving on in her life." Ezio sighed. "But...she still loves me."

I couldn't say anything, but his reason did make sense. To let one live their own life while he spent his doing what he had to do wasn't something to be punished about.

"That's the reason I couldn't tell you," Ezio continued quietly, walking up to me and looking down upon me.

I realized that this was my apology message, but I felt like I didn't deserve it anymore. So I slowly shook my head, trying to tell him to stop.

"I don't want you to go through this lifestyle because you feel obliged to do it," Ezio continued anyways, despite my shaking head. "Narina, I want you to live your life like a normal woman: get married, have some kids, live peacefully."

I found myself laughing lightly, shaking my head. "Well, it's already too late for that anyway..." I looked up into Ezio's warm brown eyes, seeing his regret and sadness plunging deep in his eyes.

"I just feel like..._Ti sto rubando la tua vita_ ( I'm taking your life away)."

I thought about his response, and then I reached up with both my hands, cupping his face in my tiny hands. Rubbing my fingers against his stubble, I stared over his face slowly, from his strong chin up to his dark brown hair hanging across his forehead and in his eyes. "Ezio," I whispered, staring him in the eyes, trying to convince him. "I wouldn't even _have_ a life if it weren't for you. If you hadn't let me stick around with you I probably would have died years ago. Don't worry about messing up my life, okay?" I pulled my face into a thinking pose. "But you did realized that once I figured out you were going to Spain that I would have still followed you, right?"

Ezio grinned, his cheek muscles pulling under my hands. "I did, and then I realized that it wasn't going to do a single thing except get you mad at me." Ezio chuckled lowly, the sound making my smile appear again. "So I'm sorry."

"Your apology is accepted, but..." I trailed off, rubbing my hands against his jaw and chin. "I request that you shave as soon as possible."

Laughing, Ezio threw his arms around me to crush him to his chest. "_Grazie_," he murmured in my hair, hugging me tightly around the waist.

I wrapped my arms around his back, spreading my hands among his shoulder blades. Without really thinking about it, I snuggled into his chest, once again smelling his leather armor and sweat and once again finding it strangely attractive and masculine. "You have to stop dwelling on the past," I said into his armor. "Once it's done, you can't change it, and it's foolish to think you can. Take your own advice, Ezio, and move on." I took a deep breath, pressing the side of my face farther into Ezio's chest. "You have bigger things to do now, and I'll be here for you, okay?"

His arms wound tighter around my waist, and his face was pressed into my hair. I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth radiating off of Ezio and seeping through not only his armor, but mine as well. Something twisted in my stomach and I swallowed back a sudden set of fear. I tried to back away from him, but he kept his arms around my waist. So I just leaned back away from him, looking up at his eyes and placing my hands on his chest.

I once again swallowed back my uneasiness and smiled at him. "Besides, Leonardo once told me that everything happens for a reason. All we have to do is figure out what that reason it."

Ezio smirked, shaking his head. "You make it sound so easy," he pointed out.

I shrugged innocently. "Maybe it is then. We'll try it together, alright?" Ezio nodded in agreement, staring down at me with a faint smile.

With sudden acknowledgment of the stares from the people around us, I gave his chest a few pats with both my hands. "Speaking of Leonardo, shall we continue our way to his wonderful workshop?" I asked in a rush.

Ezio laughed, finally letting me go. "Right, I almost forgot."

Once he began to lead me down the street again, I reached up and rubbed my head. "Um, you do realize that I was serious about the shaving thing right?"

Ezio immediately started to rub his jaw and chin. "I figured, but what's wrong with it?"

I made a face. "I don't know— I just don't like the shaggy look for you. I think scruffy is better for your personality. I like it stubbly."

"I bet your thighs would like it too."

When I threw Ezio the biggest death glare I had ever made, he just smiled all innocently at me.

I punched his arm, making him stumble slightly. "Put your hood on, _perverto _(pervert)," I growled, rolling my eyes and stomping ahead of him. Ezio just chuckled, but did reach up and bring his hood back onto his head.

* * *

**Question of the day: For those of you who have the AC2 book, I've heard a lot of bad things about it. Is it really that bad, and if so, what makes it so bad?**

**Thanks! :3**

(Thanks to Betty Battaglia for the Italian translations! :3) 


	12. To Find The Fox

**Yay! Chapter 11/12! Sorry it took forever to write...this chapter kicked my ass. Literally. AND SORRY THAT IT'S FUCKING LONG! DX I apologize!**

**Okay, so I did get the Assassin's Creed book, and I really don't see why people bitched about it— It isn't bad or anything. The only problem I have with it (besides the fact of how they describe Federico) is that it's just...more convenient and fun to PLAY it, not read it. But other than that, I really like how the author made it different— it's like seeing the game through somebody elses eyes and it really intrigues me!**

**Also, after having a very, very heated discussion with SporkedGamer (not really- I love her to death), I have decided that the romance MUST COME SOONER! So not only is the 'love' being placed in a sooner situation, I have also decided to start moving things faster- this damn story is taking too long. Speaking of which, SporkedGamer and I have been obsessing over the fact that AC:B isn't exactly about Ezio; IT'S ABOUT DESMOND! EEEE! :D I have always wanted to know more about that fella and due to our 'box' story, I've come to love him so much!**

**I am happy to announce that the last chapter let me receive my hundredth review! YES! But this isn't a good thing through and through- having this much reviews will probably give people the impression that I don't need anymore...NOT TRUE! I love reviews!**

**The hardest thing about this chapter was realizing that I was screwing up the time span, and it was SO hard not to go back to the game for reference (from this point here on out, I'm actually planning on branching out from the actual game to make this story my own and also to make a point for my 'reason').**

**Thanks for the reviews! (I love you guys so much- party hardy!):**

**Dragon's-Maidens: Well, you see, Narina technically isn't a Mary Sue- I'm just a bad quiz taker. X3**

**SafetyPinStitches: haha YES! I love the image of Leonardo slapping Ezio and then screaming at him! :3**

**SporkedGamer:...You're just freaking awesome, my VIP backstage Pass friend. :3**

**Nightshade07: X3 Either I'm lazy or I'm just scared of the book. I only read to like...chapter three, and now I can't pick it back up again.**

**napanapa: Yes, I really wanted Ezio and Narina to get very close to each other before they fall in love.**

**Anon: Thank you- I'll try to fix the rate my story is going.**

**Gray Wolf Demon: XD haha Epic Fish faceness! I like it when Ezio's a pervert- it's a strange attraction!**

**Lighttan117: If I ever got the chance, I would seriously hug Altair's statue (better yet, him!).**

**Malakia:Thank you so much! :3 Don't worry, you're not the only one- I talk to my mom in Italian (the little that I know) all the time! Thank you Assassin's Cred 2! **

**CreativeChica39: I don't have a doubt that the book is good- I just think it's more fun to do it myself. :( That's depressing that you don't get to have a good look at Desmond. He's such a silly little bitch.**

**Hedwig the MillenniumOwl: haha I love how much feedback I got on Ezio's last comment. :3 It makes me incredibly happy! XD**

**pinkrollingstone: I'm sorry! I really am! (I'll give you this- their first kiss is coming up either in the next chapter or the chapter after that). :3**

**Dawn Gray Manson: yay! Damn swell! X3**

**Acro111: Thankies again! (I'll always remember you as my 100th reviewer).**

**Black Claided Cat: Yay for the Altair statue! :3 He's sexy even in stone form! You and I are in the same boat- I still haven't finished the book, it's just sitting on my kitchen counter waiting for me.**

**Aligned-Pinecone: Thank you very much! :3**

**Kagekitsonegal: X3 haha Yesss. Thanks again! **

**Thedarkmessenger2313: I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or not, but I'll thank you anyway because I love any kind of review. :3**

**Okay, done. :3 Neow enjoy ze Chapter!**

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* * *

_Chapter 11: To Find The Fox_

Ezio didn't hesitate to just simply walk into Leonardo's workshop. I wanted to scold him for being so rude, but I was too excited to see Leonardo again.

The room was dimly lit, and there seemed to be even more papers and junk spilling out over the room. With a quick glance casting over the room, I saw the Italian painter standing next to one of his many shelves, reaching up and grabbing for something.

I got to it before Ezio could. "Leonardo!" I exclaimed, running past Ezio and up to Leonardo with open arms.

Leonardo took in the sight of us before I threw my arms around him. "Ezio! Narina!" He hugged me back in an excited manner and then took me by the shoulders and held me an arms length away. He looked over me quickly with a grin and then up to Ezio, who was approaching us now with his hood down and a smile on his lips.

"The past two years haven't changed you much, I see," Ezio commented, judging on how Leonardo didn't look all that much older and also by the fact that Leonardo's habit of keeping a mess around was still evident.

Leonardo laughed. "I can see the subtle difference in you two, my friends. I think Narina has gotten a little bit taller."

"_È tuttavia breve _(She is still short)," Ezio teased, laughing when I threw him a narrowed glance.

"It's so very good to see you, my friends! Tell me, what have you been up to these past two years?"

"Training," Ezio said in short. "We started our mission last week, Leonardo, and we managed to get another Codex Page for you." Ezio reached into a small satchel at his waist and pulled out the scroll. Leonardo brushed past me and excitedly took a hold of the scroll. With a quick, excited huff, Leonardo took the scroll over to his desk immediately and opened it up, lying it flat upon the surface.

"Ah, this code is similar to the last one you brought to me," he said after giving a quick glance over the paper. "It'll only take a few moments." He glanced over the scroll again. "This one shows...hmm, I don't know, some movements for your blade? Perhaps new techniques?"

"_Bene_," Ezio replied. "Perhaps I could try them out?"

"Ah, _si, si,_" Leonardo said, still transfixed on the scroll. He suddenly took a hold of the scroll and held it up towards Ezio. "Look here!" Leonardo said in excitement. I stood on my tip-toes to try and see over or around Ezio to get a look at the scroll.

Ezio hesitated. "What am I looking at?"

Leonardo placed the scroll back down on the table. "It shows new designs for another hidden blade, Ezio! Remarkable!"

"Then could you construct it for me while I try out these new techniques?" Ezio suggested, looking over the scroll.

"But of course. I'll have my assistant set up some dummies for you to practice on." Leonardo called out into the back room, beckoning his assistant to come into the room. I took the moment to walk in front of Leonardo's desk to look over at the codex page. The words were all mixed together and there were even some small sketches pasted through out the page, giving small directions on a move or the construction of the new blade. Despite how intrigued I was with the paper, I couldn't understand a single thing, and wondered idly how Leonardo could even decipher it.

Once Leonardo had told his assistant to place the straw dummies out in the courtyard for Ezio, the young artist turned towards me. "Narina, I would be pleased if you went out and did my daily errands today so that I can work on Ezio's new blade."

"_Certo!_(Of course!)" I accepted with a smile. "What do you need done?"

Leonardo went over a quick list of what he wanted me to do- some shopping and then some painting deliveries. It sounded easy enough, so I took it all in with a smile, latching the money pouch that Leonardo had handed me onto my belt, and left the small studio. When I walked by the arch way to the courtyard, I saw Ezio standing in the middle, talking to Leonardo's assistant. Standing in the archway I waited until Ezio turned around and saw me.

"Good luck with training," I offered, then used my head to gesture to the town. "I'm out to do some shopping."

Ezio looked quickly to the assistant, then back to me with a large grin. "Hey, Narina, come here for a sec," he beckoned.

"Ezio, I have to go do some stuff," I objected, knowing that he had something tricky on his mind.

"No, I promise, it'll be fine. Besides, you'll be helping me with training."

It took a good three more minutes for him to finally persuade me into helping him. Leonardo's assistant had disappeared back into the studio during the convincing, saying that he would be back. I walked into the courtyard with my arms folded, like I wasn't happy with what Ezio was making me do.

He took a hold of my shoulder and led me towards the cart of hay near the corner of the courtyard. "Okay, just stand here," he explained, setting me right next to the cart. Without a word, Ezio climbed into the cart of hay, disappearing from my sight.

I silently stared at the hay for a moment. "Um...what am I doing?"  
Ezio's head popped out from the hay. "Just act normal." He pointed towards the opposite wall across the yard. "And face that way. Pretend that you don't know I'm here."

Slowly, I turned around and stared at the light red brick wall, a small feeling forming in the pit of my stomach that this was a bad idea.

"Ready?" Ezio's voice was all muffled from the hay, and I could barely hear him.

I gulped. "Ready."

A moment of silence passed before I was suddenly seized from around the waist and yanked backwards into the hay. Before I could scream out loud, my mouth was covered by a leather gloved hand. My vision was obstructed by the pokey hay, and the arm that had yanked me back was still latched around my waist.

I stopped struggling against the grip when I felt the warm breath on my ear. "Mm? Nice technique, right?" An involuntary shudder bolted down my spine like lightning, and I felt my stomach twist and my body stiffen. Then I rammed my elbow back against Ezio's stomach, making him release me immediately so that he could rub his stomach.

With a moment of trying to clear my mind, I tumbled out of the cart and onto the grass of the courtyard. I huffed out in annoyance as I stood from the ground, brushing the hay off of me swiftly. "That's the _last_ time I help you out in training!" I vowed, picking at the tufts of hay in my hair.

Leonardo's assistant had came back out into the yard and was smiling lightly at me, obviously knowing that Ezio was going to do this to me. In his arms was another straw dummy and I realized with a bit of chagrin that I had been the temporary replacement for the dummy.

A dummy, indeed.

I gave Ezio the finger when he popped back out of the hay, but he only offered a grin of mischievousness. I rolled my eyes at him, then stalked out of the courtyard.

* * *

Shopping didn't take much time at all- I quickly bought the things that Leonardo asked for, only having to stay in the main plaza in the middle of the town. When I returned back to Leonardo's shop, I took a quick moment to look into the courtyard. It took me a moment to find Ezio, hanging off of a railing high upon the building side. He quickly reached over the top, pushed his hidden blade into the dummy and yanked it over the edge, the straw dummy thumping loudly against the ground. Ezio laughed loudly, dropping to the ground and saying that 'he wanted to try it again'.

I shook my head, realizing just how childish he was even though he was nearing the age of 20 now. I froze for a moment. Ezio and I were almost _twenty_ now. Where had the past three years gone?

Sighing, I walked into the workshop and confronted Leonardo.

"Good, good." Leonardo bent behind his desk, bringing up a box with a few paintings inside of it. "This is the last of the commission paintings that I needed to deliver. Since my assistant is busy helping Ezio, I want you to deliver these to the Carliaes Family on the western side of town." Leonardo huffed as he put the box in my arms, and it was a lot heavier than I expected. Instinctively, I adjusted the weight and made it a little bit easier to carry. Leonardo took a hold of my shoulder, smiling at me. "They have the family crest of a dove bird soaring around a mountaintop above their door- it's very hard to miss. _Buona fortuna _(good luck)."

I nodded. "Right. I'll get it done." Shifting the box in my arms again, I turned and walked out of the workshop. Ezio called out to me when I passed the archway again, but I ignored him completely.

I wasn't in any position to call Leonardo a liar, but...damn, it was hard to find the house! I wondered around aimlessly on the western side of Florence, lugging around a box of paintings. They seemed to get heavier and heavier as the afternoon passed, and it was only until the sun started setting that I asked someone where the house was. Of course, it had to be the building that I had passed five time earlier that day, only I didn't stop at it because I didn't see no damn family crest above a doorway- Leonardo had failed to tell me that part of the house couldn't be seen from the streets because it was so flipping TINY.

With an annoyed huff, I made my way through the archway to the house and knocked on the door, explaining to the maid who answered that I was a friend of Leonardo's, and she invited me inside. She didn't offer to take the paintings out of my stiffening arms, and that made my gruff attitude even more gruff.

The inside of the house was magnificent— the theme was dark red and a creamy white, the curtains matching the tapestries which were leaned against carefully painted walls and reached for the dark, paneled flooring. Because I was in a bad mood, I took note of all the paintings on the wall and thought angrily that they didn't NEED anymore damn paintings.

The young maid led me into a small library room, a wealthy looking women sitting in one of the chairs, mending a pair of breeches. A young man, probably around 16 or 17, was gazing at all the books on the shelves, and turned to us at our entry. I could tell the man was the lady's son, judging on their dusty brown hair and round brown eyes. Despite my upset look, the lady of the house was very kind, and had her son take the box out of my arms while she went to get the money to pay. The maid followed the woman out of the room, and that left the young man and I alone.

He placed the box of paintings on one of the small tables in the room with a huff before turning and grinning at me. "Don't you think that box was a little heavy for a young lady like you to be carrying around?"

He was...charming. But I had another charming asshole on my hands at the moment.

"I think can handle myself, thank you very much." I snapped.

The man held up his hands in defense, flashing me a grin that wasn't unlike Ezio's. "I never said you couldn't." He bowed his head. "Pardon me, _mia signora_, but I am Lucio Carliaes." He grinned up at me. "May I have your name?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, but nodded in acknowledgment. "I'm Narina. Narina Auditore."

His face fell slightly, his grin disappearing. "'Auditore?' Are you...?"

"No," I lied. "I have no relation to them. I hate it when everyone groups me with them."

"_Spiacente_," he replied, smiling once more. "It was just a...shock to me."

I took note on how Lucio's expression had changed, even when he had so seemingly taken my excuse. Something about him wasn't right, and it _wasn't_ the uncanny likeness of Ezio. When I thought about it, my body seemed to move _away_ from him whenever he made a simple movement. I realized with a disgust that I didn't like this man very much.

His mother returned and gave me a pouch of money, thanking me with a small smile. I said my goodbyes and left without another glance towards Lucio.

When I returned to the workshop, the sun was still peeping just a tad bit over the mountains, creating a surreal effect up in the clouds, creating a wonderful palette of pastel colors. I stopped by the courtyard for a second, saw that Ezio was no longer there, and then made my way back into the shop.

Leonardo was pleased to see me, although I didn't answer him when he asked what had taken me so long.

"Where's Ezio?" I asked, taking note that he wasn't anywhere in the cluttered room.

"He went out for a bit," Leonardo explained, opening up a paper on his desk and looking over it.

I sighed, plopping myself down in the chair before his desk. "Went lady hunting, huh?"

Leonardo looked up at me. "That bothers you?"

"He's just a whore," I claimed, folding my arms. "He doesn't give any mind to their feelings, you know? It just bugs the shit out of me."

Leonardo smiled and looked back down at the paper. "Is that _really_ it, Narina?"

With a moment of hesitation, I looked up at Leonardo. "What do you mean?"

He was dipping his feather pen into a bottle of ink, smiling and rubbing at his bearded chin. "You say you get upset because he doesn't consider _their_ feelings, right?"

"_Si_," I agreed hesitantly.

He chuckled again. "Are you sure you don't get upset because he doesn't consider _your _feelings when he goes with him?"

It took me a moment, but I started to laugh lightly. "Um, yes, I am sure."

Leonardo was still smiling. "It would just be nice if you kept that in mind."

"Look, Leonardo, I appreciate your concern, but: No." I laughed again, and leaned back in the chair.

Leonardo gave me a thoughtful innocent look. "None of the other women he's with don't seem to get upset over it."

I shrugged. "That's because he's sleeping with them- of course they don't get mad." I paused, then sat up straight in the chair. "I'm NOT saying I _want_ to sleep with him."

The young man laughed. "I didn't even suggest it."

I didn't like where the conversation was going, so I ended it with a 'whatever' and then asked Leonardo if I could get on his roof. He didn't even ask why— he just nodded and said that it was alright as long as I didn't hurt myself. My first attempt at climbing the building was right out the front door, but that wasn't very successful- I was causing too much of a distraction anyways. So I took to the courtyard since I had seen Ezio scale the walls there earlier.

The clinking tiles were still warm from the suns' rays as I sat down, the warmth reaching through my pants. I sighed in content, the sun no longer visible, but the rays were still reaching out above the mountains, like little childrens fingers reaching for a twinkling star in the sky. Flopping myself back onto the roof, I put my hands behind my head and watched the darkening sky in silence.

I couldn't help but think about what Leonardo had said to me, and the more I thought about it, the more confusing it got. Why _did_ I care so much when Ezio went with other women? It's not like I was jealous- I didn't ever get the urge before to push Ezio down on a bed and go at him like he was a free ride (which, technically, he was, but still). Was I just mad that he never took consideration on how I felt about the whole thing?

The tiles were suddenly clicking again, and I sat up in a hurry, worried that it might be a guard.

"Ah." I relaxed. Speak of the devil. "Hey Ezio."

Ezio grinned at me and plopped down next to me, making sure to 'accidentally' bump me, making me almost fall onto my right side but I caught myself. He sighed as he relaxed himself back onto the roof, in a similar position that I had just been in, pulling off his hood and heaving off a big breath.

"Can I see the new blade?"

Ezio held out his right hand, spreading his fingers apart and flexing his wrist, making the blade shoot out. The sharp edge gleamed in the moon light, and he stuck it right in my face, making me flinch back. He grinned. "Shiny, right?"

"It's nice." I touched my fingers to the metal work that Leo had put into it. "Have you tried it out yet?"

Ezio let his hand relax, and the blade disappeared. "No, I was hoping I could do that tomorrow. I was too busy tonight."

I paused."How was the ride?" I asked in a slightly poisonous tone.

His brow furrowed for a moment as he didn't understand what I was talking about, but then muttered 'oh' when he finally got it. "I didn't just go have sex— don't get upset."

Upset? Did he think it was weird too that I got mad over it?

I watched him for a moment as his eyes darted across all the stars in the sky, trying to find shapes in the constellations, then I once again fell back onto my back and began to search with him. It seemed like the sky above Florence was much more different than the stars that hung above Monteriggioni. We pointed out a few things and the night grew colder before I asked "Well, then where did you go?"

I kept my eyes to the stars,so I wasn't sure if he turned to me. He sighed, pointed out a star and said "I went to go see Paola."

That sent a stab in my chest. "What did you go to her for?"

"To say hello." Ezio pointed to the sky suddenly. "Shooting star." His hand dropped again, and I was only able to see nothing but a bunch of white dots in the dark sky. "Besides, I needed to ask her something."

I took a deep breath of the crisp air. "About what?"

Ezio sat up slightly so that he was leaning on his elbows, and he looked down at me. I realized that he was about to tell me something important and I rolled onto my side to give him a better look. "I asked Leonardo where I could find out some information on Francesco," Ezio explained. "He told me that a man named '_La Volpe_' would know, but Leonardo has no clue as to where this 'fox' may be."

"So you went to Paola to see if she knew?" I summed up in a question.

"_Si_, but even she said that La Volpe doesn't stay in one place for long, that he is in every part of the city." He sighed, leaning onto his back again, his hands behind his head. "It'll take forever to find him..."

I laughed lightly, and then yawned. "We have the time Ezio."

Breathing out a deep sigh, he scratched at his chin. "Yeah...we do," he whispered quietly. I closed my eyes and smiled, for once glad that I didn't have a long, winded argument with Ezio. Sighing again, I slightly curled my knees to my chest so that I was in a fetal position and then I slowly fell asleep.

I woke up to leather.

Blinking a few times to adjust to the bright morning light, I realized that it was Ezio's chest armor that I was staring at. With a further inspection, I realized that I was still up on the roof of Leonardo's,still in fetal position and it was morning. Also, I was resting my head on Ezio's arm, snuggled into his side with his hand resting on my side. With abruptness, I gasped and sat up quickly, sending his arm from around me. At that, he woke up slowly too, and while I dealt with the resulting headache from sitting up too fast, he rub at his eyes and stretched out his sore muscles.

"Note to self;" he groaned. "Don't sleep on a roof all night."

I did realize that my head wasn't the only thing that hurt. My hips were killing me, my spine was sore and my neck had an odd twist feel to it.

"You don't have to tell me twice." I rubbed at my neck, and watched as Ezio stood up slowly, stretching out his arms again. Remembering that I had woken up upon him, I flushed lightly at the thought and hoped sincerely that he didn't realize that I was sleeping into his side. I recalled what Leonardo had said the day before about my feelings, and I feel suddenly uneasy. I stood up too."So...are we looking for this La Volpe guy today?"

Ezio rubbed his chin. "Yeah, I guess." He seemed skeptical, and I did realize that Florence was sort of a big place.

"We'll find him," I said in assurance, then walked of to the edge of the roof.

"Hm..." he felt his chin again. "Maybe I'll shave first just to humor you."

We ate breakfast with Leonardo first and then took a few moments to shave Ezio's oncoming beard, making his face as smooth as a baby's bottom. He proceeded to tease me after we rinsed his skin by pressing his jaw against my cheek while he chanted something about the smoothness. That resulted with a shove to his chest and a small punch to his shoulder.

"Why do you persist on touching me?" I retorted when he pushed his face at me again.

He paused, and then smirked at me. "To see your reactions. They make all the punches and slaps worthwhile." He leaned his jaw closer to me again, and I put my hands against his cheeks, putting my fingers over his eyes so he couldn't see, pushing him away again.

"Could you please stop it? We've got shit to do, okay?"

It took a few more minutes for Ezio to stop obsessing over his smooth face, and after that we made a plan that would get us all around Florence in one day, searching for this fox. We would go to the northern gate and then split up there and search out our own sides of Florence. It would be a piece of cake.

* * *

Finding the '_La Volpe_' was a lot harder than we had first thought. It took four months.

The hot summer had passed, and autumn was passing by quickly. The days got shorter and colder, and they passed by so quickly that it seemed we didn't get anything accomplished. We didn't want to ask around too much, afraid that if we made too much of a ruckus, Francesco would learn of our position in the city. We felt bad for imposing on Leonardo for two days, so we ended up sleeping on a lot more roofs before Paola insisted we stayed at the brothel, and of course, Ezio accepted.

The streets seemed to get darker with every passing day, preparing to deal with the drab winter. The only time Florence even looked inviting anymore was when the sunset or sun rise pasted it's warm colors onto the tiles. Even during the brighter days, you could tell winter was coming. Maybe it was something in the air— you could just _smell_ the snow.

Another day had passed, and Ezio and I trudged through the city streets, tired from searching all day. It had been one of the days that we pushed aside all other priorities and spent the whole day peeping into every little crevice throughout Florence.

"I'm _hungry_," I moaned as we walked down the streets, holding at my stomach. "And it's really cold. Let's go back to Paola's and pig out under some blankets or something."

Ezio grunted in agreement. "And sleep. I didn't even get to sit down today."

"And what a day it was." I rubbed at my face. "I think my eyes will fall out of my head if I look at anything too much."

"We didn't even _learn_ anything!" Ezio exalted in a slightly angry tone. "If I knew that it was going to take _this_ long to find this guy, I think I would have just went and killed Francesco in the first place."

Although I wanted to agree with him, I sighed and shook my head. "No, it's better this way. Discretion is the best thing we can do, even if it _is_ frustrating."

Ezio sighed. "_Che lei dice. _(Whatever you say.)"

Suddenly, Ezio was pressing into me, making me almost lose my balance. "What the hell are you doing?" I asked in shock.

Ezio didn't answer me and yelled at the thuggish-looking guy that had just passed us to 'watch where you're going!' Then, immediately, Ezio's hand went to his belt, patting it. He looked down at me. "My money— it's gone!"

Without a second glance, Ezio and I both took off after the man that had bumped into Ezio, who had started running as well. And he was fast! I didn't know if it was because I hadn't anything to eat that day, but I was losing energy quickly. What a wonderful day this was becoming.

The thief jumped onto a few crates, and then used some beams and other obstructions to climb higher onto the roofs. Now _this_ was my forte. Without so much as a second thought, I threw myself up onto the building's wall, pulling myself up quickly. Forget the crates and beams, they were for sissies.

It only took me a moment longer to climb the roof than Ezio, who had indeed taken the 'sissy' way, and I was going to tease him about it later. But both of our eyes were locked upon the fleeing figure on another rooftop a house away. We ran across the rooftops, jumping onto other ones, knocking out a few of the roof tiles and sending them to the ground with loud shatters, and we managed to keep the chase up for a good 10 minutes.

Finally, the man seemed to be slowing down, and I didn't waste the chance— I pushed myself to run as fast as I was able to and jumped at the guy. I made contact with him and knocked him down with a loud thud, me landing upon his back. I sat up quickly, and rolled the guy under me so that I was hovering over him. He stared up at me with his light brown eyes, but they weren't filled with fear like I would have thought they would be. Fisting my hands into his shirt, I pulled his upper body up towards mine.

"Give us the money before this gets ugly," I whispered in a deathly tone.

"Now now...is that anyway to treat my friend?"

Snapping my head up, I let go of the thief and stood up in one fluid moment. The thief scrambled up and stood next to the man that had appeared out of nowhere. The mans face was young, yet old, many lines creasing his face while he still had a youthful spark in his violet eyes. His grin held many secrets, and his face was overshadowed by a brown hood lined with golden designs.

If that wasn't enough to tip me off, a kick in my stomach told me that this guy was an Assassin.

Ezio approached us now, and I immediately fell back to stand by him, keeping my eye on this man. We stood there in a silence for a moment, catching our breath.

"Who are you?" Ezio asked, moving his shoulder so that I was slightly behind him.

The man smiled larger. "They call me many things: Murderer. _Tagliagole _(cutthroat). Thief. But you? You may call me La Volpe." The man waved off Ezio's open mouth. "You are Ezio Auditore, son of Giovanni. I know who you are, so spare me the introduction." He turned to me with his all knowing eyes. "You must be Narina. I've heard much about you."

I wasn't in any mood to be kind. "That's nice, but do you know how _long_ we've been looking for you!"

"Indeed." The man smiled smugly at me. "Around four months, hasn't it?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"But that isn't the matter at hand, now is it?" He had turned back to Ezio. "It's my 'business' to know everything about the city, Ezio, and I've heard that you're wanting some information on Francesco de' Pazzi, no?"

Ezio had relaxed a bit, and nodded. "_Si_, that would be nice."

"Favor and fortune must smile upon you, for I know that Francesco and his fellow Pazzi members plan to meet together. Tonight."

Ezio was interested all over again. "Where?"

La Volpe opened his palm towards the other thief, who then dropped Ezio's coin pouch into the fox's hand. La Volpe walked up to Ezio and said "Follow me, and I shall show you." He pressed the pouch against Ezio's chest. "And here is your money."

The younger thief had disappeared into the approaching night, and La Volpe dropped down to a lower roof, looking up and waiting for Ezio and I to follow.

I tugged on Ezio's sleeve before he could jump down after the man. "Ezio, I know this is the breakthrough we've been waiting for, but I'm fucking exhausted— I don't think I can run around much anymore."

"Just a little bit further, we've almost got this." Ezio gave me a long, pleading look, and I sighed, telling my on-fire chest and my growling stomach that it was going to have to wait just a little bit longer and push through a little bit more.

We followed the fox across Florence again, heading towards the middle of town. I thought, by the time we actually stopped, that my lungs were going to burst and I would faint from the weariness. While Ezio and I struggled for out breaths, La Volpe seemed totally fine, breathing equally and still coordinated. I guess we still had a lot to learn.

"They meet within," La Volpe said to Ezio, pointing towards the large building in the middle of the plaza. "At the Santa Maria Novella."

Ezio caught his breath and nodded. "How do I get inside?"

"The catacombs that run underneath the city should be able to give you a vantage point where you can get close enough to hear them, but they can't see you." La Volpe pointed down into a small courtyard at the side of the Novella. "Down in the rounded nook, you will find symbol. Stick in, push up and pull to open up the path."

"_Grazie._" Ezio turned towards me. "Are we ready?"

My stomach growled. "Ready as ever," I replied, blushing and putting an arm around my stomach as if to shut it up.

With controlled drops and a few moments of panic, Ezio and I lowered ourselves down the side of the building we had been upon. When we touched ground, Ezio turned towards me, excitement in his eyes. "This is what we've been searching for, Narina! The perfect opportunity just handed to us on a silver platter!"

The word platter reminded me of food, and I growled mentally. "Yeah, after a four month waiting period," I noted sourly.

Ezio led me in the courtyard, keeping his eye out for the guards. "Well, this'll certainly be much easier. It was worth the wait."

When we approached the rounded nook, I saw that there was indeed a symbol on the wall, a skull within the same symbol that Mario had everywhere at the Villa and on Ezio's belt. Without exchanging any looks or words, Ezio stuck his fingers into the skulls' eyes, pushed up and then curled his fingers inside to the face forward. Something clicked, and in a moment, skull twisted and flipped so that it was upside down.

The metal circle that we were standing upon shifted and Ezio and I automatically jumped back off of it. It moved aside to reveal a dark hole that led to heaven knows where.

Squatting down, I looked down into the hole. "How deep do you think it is?"

Ezio knelt down next to me and looked into the darkness as well. He grunted and stuck a leg down into it. "There's only one way to find out, hm?"

I watched him silently as he slowly shifted his body into the hole, gripping onto the edge so that he could stare up at me. "I'll catch you if you jump, alright?"

Deciding that he would get very mad if I just blew him off and also that I was too famished to argue, I nodded. "_Bene_, but you better not drop me."

Ezio grinned and winked at me before letting go of the edge and dropping into the darkness. I pushed aside all of my own concerns and realized that Ezio could have just killed himself, taking a note that catacombs could be deep down beneath the city.

I sighed and rubbed my head which was suddenly aching. "When in Rome—er, Florence...do what the Florentines do." I gingerly lowered myself into the hole, counting to three before letting go of the rim.

The air whooshed loudly past me as I dropped through the temporary darkness, and then I smacked against something and there was a deep groan. When I was able to actually register where I was, I realized that I was in Ezio's arms, held against his chest.

"Ah," he growled, setting me down, "I wasn't expecting that to hurt so much."

I couldn't bring myself to apologize, taking note that he just subtly called me fat. I looked around at my surroundings, seeing that we were indeed in the catacombs— there were bones everywhere, the walls carved out so that bodies and coffins could be placed in the cold ground. Down past the coffins was an opening, making a sharp right and leading to a place beyond my sight.

After Ezio stopped complaining, I let him take the lead through the catacomb area. We turned around the corner and entered a much larger room, looking like the ruins of a destroyed chapel. The path turned into a ledge and there was no where to go without having to jump or climb.

I let my eyes graze over the room, noting on all the places I was able to climb to.

"Look, down there," Ezio said, pointing down to the ground. I looked to where he was pointing, seeing a large door. "That's our best bet on where to go."

"Looks like it's sealed tight though," I objected. "There's no way we could open that with brute force alone."

Ezio looked over the room like I had, a thoughtful look grazing his face. "Maybe we don't have to. There has to be a switch or something to open the door."

"Well of course...but_ where_ is that switch?"

Ezio smiled at me charmingly. "Somewhere around here. _Cominciare a guardare! _(Start looking!)"

Without another word, Ezio stepped over the edge of the small ledge and dropped to the lower ground level. He walked up to the large door, pressing his hands into the blocks rimming the door, checking to see if the switch of there.

_Of course it wouldn't be here,_ I thought, looking up into the ruins that expanded up above me. I then let my eyes fall to my left and focus on a small ledge that I could jump to. Taking a step back to give myself a running start and I threw myself over onto the ledge. Although I landed on my feet with confidence, the impact made my head spin, and I began to wonder why my head was hurting so much all of a sudden.

Putting the thought aside, I continued to jump and pull myself up higher, looking for anything that would be the switch to open the door.

"What are you doing?" Ezio called up to me.

Ignoring him for a moment, I scaled a small wall, throwing myself to the right towards another ledge, my fingers latching onto the edge and I dangled in the air for a moment. It took me a lot longer than normal to pull myself up— my arms were weak and I felt like I had no energy. When I was finally able to lift myself over the edge, I stood up slowly and brush off the dirt that I had on my pants. I sighed and rubbed my head again, thinking that my skipping meals all day was taking a big toll on me.

I focused on the contraption that was in front of me, a lever in the wall. I reached in and took a hold of it, pulling it down. It was so stuck that I had to put all of my weight upon the lever, and in response, it squeaked loudly in a protest until it finally jerked down, locking into place.

"What was that?" Ezio called again, almost in a panic.

Looking over the edge, I smiled down at Ezio who was staring up at me all the way down at the bottom of the room. "Is the door opening?"

Ezio looked back towards the door, and didn't say anything for a moment. Then there was a loud sound of stone scraping and sliding against each other that echoed throughout the entire room. The door that Ezio was standing in front of clicked and slowly opened, squeaking loudly. Ezio started to laugh. "_Lei stupisce (_You're amazing) Narina! Good job finding the switch!"

"You're welcome." I looked over the edge warily, and realized the height made my head hurt even more that it already had been. "Go on ahead, I'll catch up to you."

"You sure? Do you need help getting down?" Ah, that mocking voice of his. I glared down at him.

"No, I'll be fine. Just go."

Ezio chuckled again and disappeared through the door. I took my sweet time to get down, not moving too fast to make my head not hurt as much, and also my legs were starting to get weak too. What I would've have done for food right then...

Finally, I jumped down to the bottom and entered through the door, keeping my eyes peeled. The path that I was following led me into a series of rooms, having to suck up as much energy as I could and jump across obstacles when the path was inaccessible. There was no room for misinterpretation of where Ezio had went to— along the path, I passed some dead guards, sitting in a pool of blood dripping from the wounds that varied from their stomachs to their necks, their eyes dazed and there mouths opened agape.

If there was one thing Ezio didn't know how to do it was being discreet.

After a moment of walking through dingy, dirty walk ways, and having to climb over many things, I finally heard swords clinking together. I urged myself to run after the sounds despite the bothersome pounding in my head and the unsteadiness in my legs. The dirt ground under me turned into tiles, and I ran into a round room with a table in the middle, placed for guards on duty. And duty was calling them all— actually, half of them were already dead, but the rest left were fighting a sword-drawn Ezio.

The young assassin saw me over the guards heads and gave me a quick wink from under his hood before swinging his sword through the stomach of a nearby guard, making him drop his sword in a clatter on the ground and his breaths squabble until blood poured from the edges. Ezio pulled back his sword and quickly ducked to dodge another guards vertical swing, exposing his back. Ezio took the chance by blocking the other guards swing by holding up his sword, then kicked the legs out from under the exposed guard, making him fall onto his back. Pushing the attacking guard back with a shove of his sword, Ezio pressed the tip of his blade through the knocked down man's throat.

My stomach rolled at the sight, and it was strange that I found that this was awful to watch, considering that I had seen death many times before. Not only was my stomach, head, legs, and arms uncomfortable now, I swear my hands were starting to feel clammy. I ran my hand through my thick hair, closing my eyes while Ezio dealt with the last guard.

"_Ciò che fa lei pensa_ (what do you think), Narina? I'm a lot better, hm?"

I looked up at him, rubbing my neck. "Yeah, yeah. That's what you've been training for these past few years— don't get full of yourself."

We had a small, silent argument through our gazes before he turned back towards a door across the room.

He grinned again. "We're almost there, I can feel it."

The only thing that I could feel was pounding thuds against my head and the weariness in my limbs.

I followed Ezio quietly as we went through the door, leading into a dark hall way, which later on opened up into another round room.

"Now what?" Ezio wondered, gazing around the room. "I can't believe we've gotten this far and then we have-"

"Shh." I reached up and put my finger to Ezio's lips. "Listen."

Ezio turned the side of his head up, as if that made it easier for him to hear. There were muffled voices coming from somewhere in the room, but I couldn't put my finger where.

"There." Ezio pointed up to a hole in the wall across the room, reaching out into the dark, but a warm light reflected on the walls in spots. "We need to get in there."

He didn't have to tell me another word. I was tired of running around under Florence, and I just wanted to get out as soon as possible. I stepped over all the broken stones and fixtures on the floor before running and throwing myself up the wall once again, disregarding my rebelling muscles and fatigue. Sucking in the urge to just drop to the ground, I used the broken chunks missing from the wall and the edges of the once beautiful decorations in the wall to climb up, Ezio right behind me.

Pulling up over the edge, we were now in a small and narrow hallway, twisting around in an arch, metal graters put in the wall to the left, a golden light streaming through the small circles. The muffled words were now easier to understand.

"Bernardo?" A deep voice quietly asked.

"It's all here: swords, spears,axes, armor, bows. Our men will want for nothing!"

"I take this as a confirmation that the Pope gives us his consent?"

There was a small silence, and during that silence, Ezio gave me a smug smile and nod, mouthing 'this is what we want' to me.

"He gave his blessings to our operation," another voice softly added in, and it sent cold shivers down my spine, made my already sore limbs tighten. "As long as... 'nobody is killed'." I knew that voice anywhere, and sure enough, when I located the man that had spoke, I saw that it was Rodrigo, the same bastard that had condemned Ezio's family.

"Then we're all set. We all head to the Duomo in the morning, S_ignore_. The bait has been laid, but it wasn't exactly easy. His fool brother keeps changing his plans." I looked through the metal circles at the man that was done speaking, and Ezio nudged me lightly, mouthing a 'Francesco' when I looked at him. I rolled my eyes and gave him a sharp jab with my elbow, telling him with my eyes that 'I could have figured that one out myself.'

"What is it, Jacopo?" One of the men asked, bringing my attention back to the meeting. They were all looking at the small old man dressed in dark robes "You can't be worried that they suspect something?"

"Of course not!" Francesco replied loudly. "The Medici are too stupid and arrogant to even realize!"

The one named Jacopo stuck a finger into Francesco's face. "Don't underestimate our enemies, Francesco! Might I remind you what happened to your late son?"

Francesco fell silent, turning towards Rodrigo. "I promise we won't have that problem again, _Signore_. I assure you."

"_Molto bene._ I'll be leaving now, I have other business in Florence before I return to Rome." Rodrigo glanced around the table filled with armor and weapons at all of his men. "Gentleman, tomorrow a new sun rises over _Firenze_. May the Father of Understanding Guide us."

The rest of them mumbled the last sentence that Rodrigo spoke, and one by one they filed out of the room.

Without having the intensity of trying to listen to the conversation, I realized that my legs felt like puddy and the thumping in my head had increased ten-fold. I held a hand to my head, clamping my eyes shut tight.

Ezio took a hold of my shoulder. "We've got what we need. Let's go."

I nodded, looking up at him. With a bit of a small staggering, I managed to follow Ezio down the rest of the curved hallway. There was a small door to the right, a dim light pouring through it. Ezio checked around the corner slowly to make sure there wasn't any guards.

He gasped. "What? What is it?" I asked, peeking over the edge too.

"I...I think it's-"

"An Assassin's Tomb!" I exclaimed, brushing past Ezio and walking down into the room. There was a large statue, one of the statues that was in the Assassin's Sanctuary below the Villa. It was a proud figure, standing with his hidden blade extracted, standing behind a duty tomb. There were tapestries hanging from the ceiling around the coffin. The room was filled with all sorts of antiques and paintings.

"I can't believe that we found one!" Ezio was in shock as he followed me down into the tomb. We were in an awe silence for a moment, then Ezio approached the sarcophagus. He tried to push off the top, but with no avail. He studied the casket for a little bit longer, seeing the symbol on the side of the casket that was the same as the one from the entrance that we used to get into the catacombs.

After he had pulled out the skull and it flipped upside down, something in the casket clicked, and Ezio pushed it aside.

I looked inside. "Ah...creepy," I noted, the body wrapped up in clothes like a mummy. Ezio reached in and pulled out a circular tome, a picture of a hidden blade on it.

"Well, what do you know— we got two achievements done in one night!" Ezio put the tome in his side pouch and then looked around the room. "You think there's an easier way out of here besides having to go all the way back?"

"Probably." I sighed. "Use eagle vision and see."

Ezio gave me a long look. "I forgot to ask you how you know about that."

I waved him off, rubbing my forehead. "Don't make me think right now."

Ezio rolled his eyes and then looked around the room. "Over here." He walked up to the nearby wall and started to press and push against it. I watched him struggle for a bit before he looked up at me. "Help me out, would ya?"

Sighing again, I wanted to comment that I didn't feel like I could do anything to help him. Neither my legs nor arms could push against anything if they wanted to. So I just leaned against the wall to appease him, thinking that maybe my weight against it might make it move.

By the time we had moved the wall back enough to reveal another path way, and by the time we followed that path so that we were on top of the Novella, I thought I was going to collapse. I was so weak all of a sudden. Standing up upon the roof, I could feel that the breeze was cool, but my body was still burning...or was it freezing? I couldn't even tell anymore.

After surveying the area, Ezio found a cart of hay for us to land in, giving me a short pep-talk about doing a leap of faith from so high. His words were wasted, because I was taking all of the little energy that I had left to keep from collapsing, let alone actually listen to him. He performed the leap of faith first, spreading his arms out like an eagle and landing in the hay skillfully.

With a small prayer that my lack of energy didn't effect my aim, I stood up on the rim around the Novella's tower, and jumped down towards the hay. The thing about the leap of faith was that you had to be strong and confident. Any form of uneasiness would result in either missing the hay completely, or making it very painful when you landed. One needed to stand tall like a tree, swayed in the wind, but firm on were it stood. I landed in the bouncy hay, the sharp ends poking everywhere at me.

When I climbed out of the hay, Ezio was smiling at me. "Let's go home and get a good night sleep— we'll stop Francesco before he even can start this rebellion against the Medici." I gave Ezio a pleading look, trying to tell him that I didn't think I was going to even make it home. My head spun and my legs wobbled beneath me. Ezio, being the emotional-ignoring man whore that he was, didn't decipher my look right. "Don't worry. We'll eat when we get there too."

I went to sigh, but instead it came out as a gasp for air, and then I became light headed and started to sway.

"Narina? Are you okay?" I looked up to see Ezio's concerned face between everything else that was spinning. Without thinking, I fell forward, pressing my face into Ezio's chest. "I'm worried," I whispered., "I'm tired, my head hurts, I can't move, my body can't decide if it's hot or not, and I'm sick of climbing things." I sighed, and as if on cue, my stomach growled. "And I'm hungry."

Ezio's hands landed on my shoulder, but then quickly moved to my neck and then my face. "_Mio Dio_, Narina!" Ezio exclaimed, holding me away from him and staring at my face. "You're burning hot! Why didn't you tell me you had a fever?"

I tried to groan, but nothing came out. Instead I shook my head slowly and stared up into his concerned eyes. "Can you carry me home?" I whispered. "I don't think I can walk anymore."

Without hesitation, Ezio dropped to one knee and told me to put one arm around his neck. When I did, he put his right arm around my back while using his left to put behind my knees and he lifted me off the ground. He began to quickly walk through Florence, heading towards Paola's.

I couldn't decide whether or not his warmth was a comfort, so I simply leaned against his shoulder. "Thanks, Ezio," I mumbled, closing my eyes.

"I still can't believe you didn't tell me." He sounded very upset and worried at the same time.

I pretended that I didn't hear him, and closed my eyes. I suddenly realized, through my haze, that I was really glad that Ezio was here for me in my time of need. "I feel so weak and fragile...it's scary," I mumbled. "Help me, Ezio."

"I will...I promise." As his voice vibrated through his chest and into my cheek, I fell into a dark place as he spoke the comforting words.

* * *

**Have any of you noticed how adorable the pairing MariaxAltair is? It's so cute!**

**Would any of you be mad if...I don't know, made Ezio and Narina kiss in the next chapter? Well TOO bad if you don't want it, because I'm pretty sure it's happening! :3**

**Please review!**


	13. Breaking the Shell

**I realize that my Author notes are much too long. So I'm stealing SporkedGamers' idea, and I'm going to give it in points now.**

**-I can't believe that SporkedGamer's story, 'Broken Savior' is almost done! Congrats!**

**-I promise that this isn't as long as the last one.**

**-EzioxNarina romance is in this chapter (but it's not in an epic proportion... Sorry.)**

**Thank you all for the reviews! :3**

**-SporkedGamer: No...just...no. X3 If you want the damn sex, I'll write it for you early! :3 haha**

**-napanapa: Oh don't worry. Ezio is a certified nurse!...wait... not really. X3**

**-Gray Wolf Demon: I KNOW! Kissing-ness is amazing! XD**

**-Dragon's-Maidens: haha yeah, that easter egg is pretty silly! :3 And thanks!**

**-cas.92: Yeah, sorry for the longness. Ezio would be the best person to nurse you back to health... :3 haha**

**-lighttan117: I would so do anything to have the chance to sit under the stars with Ezio...**

**-LadyRox: Thanks so much! :3**

**-pinkrollingstone: Yeah, there are a lot out there who don't really like AltaixMaria...but I still think it's cute. :3**

**-Killer-Chan: :3 Thanks for the review! It made me smile! ;)**

**-Black Claided Cat: Fuck trees, I climb Buoys, muthafuckas! XD haha Well, as for the kiss...you'll just have to wait and see. :3 I think I like AltxMaria because 1. It's really cute in my opinion, and 2. Altair finally has someone to love (besides Malik[of whom I adore], 'cause that's not how I roll. Apologies if you do, so please do bash me with a club.)**

**-xshaggy:...or what? :3**

**-Acro111: Yeah...kissingness... hehe..**

**-Kagekitsonegal: haha Yes, through all the smirks and teasing, Ezio really does care for Narina. :3 Thanks for not hating me. XD**

**-JamesAndCaitlinKirk24: Yes, yes. :3 I'm making them kiss. And thanks. :3**

* * *

_"And it was me and you,  
and the whole town was underwater now.  
There was nothing we could do."_

_Dark Blue by Jack's Mannequin_

* * *

_**Chapter 12: Breaking the Shell**_

I woke up with a light gasp, opening my eyes and trying to figure out where I was. After a moment of frantically looking around, I realized that I was in my bed at Paola's, a dimming candle on a table in the corner of the room. There was a window to the left of the room, allowing me to peek through and see that the sky was dotted with stars. Swallowing back the dryness in my mouth, I raised a hand to my head, my fingers pressing into a damp cloth on my forehead. When I moved, I realized that my whole body was damp with sweat. Wanting to shift around to kick the covers off of me, I found that I was even too weak for that.

I sighed, letting my hand drop back to my side. My head lolled to my right, trying to find a comfortable spot that I could rest it against. The throbbing still wasn't gone, and it actually felt pressured like it was about to explode. I groaned lightly under my breath, opening my eyes. I felt my eyes slightly widen and it took me a moment to register the figure at my bedside.

Ezio was sitting at the side of my bed, hood down against his shoulders, resting the side of his head on his folded arms. His eyes were closed and his dark eyelashes brushed at the pocket under his eyes. Even breaths passed through his slightly open lips, his shoulders and chest rising and falling in rhythm.

Why hadn't I noticed before that he was very and extremely handsome when he was asleep? He just looked so calm and innocent. Without even really thinking, my hand lifted from my side and reached out to touch his face. I started by tracing his brow, running my finger tips down his temples and across his strong cheek bone. Letting my palm press into his skin, I caressed his firm jaw, the stubble dragging pleasantly against my skin. Then finally I let my fingers touch his firm yet soft lips, tracing his bulging scar, his warm breath tickling past my fingers.

My mind was telling me to stop touching him, but my body took my brain fogginess to it's advantage and continued to trace his facial features, especially liking his lip structures.

_Ah...what I wouldn't do if I could just..._

My thoughts were interrupted when Ezio's eyes started to twitch slightly. I didn't withdraw my hand, and kept my fingers placed at the side of his lips.

Slowly, Ezio's eyes opened, blinking a couple of times before focusing on me. His brown eyes took a moment to light up into his usual slyness. He didn't lift his head up, but repositioned his head so that his chin was resting against his arms.

He smiled. "Hey, you're awake." Finally, I let my hand fall back to my side, but I didn't say anything in response. His smile vanished, and he reached up and took off the damp cloth on my head, and then touched my forehead. "You're still really hot..." He reached up to a small stool beside the bed and dipped the cloth into the bowl of water, wringing it out and then placing the cool rag back on my forehead.

I took a moment. "Hey," I whispered. "I'm hungry."

Ezio chuckled lightly, standing up from the bedside and stretching. "I'll go get you something to snack on. You thirsty too?" I gave him a slow nod. He turned to leave the room.

There was a sharp pang of panic in my chest. "Wait," I murmured in a rush. "Ezio..." He stopped at the door, his hand upon the handle, and he turned to look back at me. I couldn't think real straight with my head feeling like it was about to burst, but I managed to get together some words. "Thank you...for everything you've done for me. I really owe you my life." He just smiled softly at me and nodded.

"Sit tight. I'll be right back." He left the room, closing the door behind him with a silent click. While he was gone, I managed to slightly kick off the blankets from my upper torso, but as soon as I did, I regretted it. I was almost immediately cold and almost shivering.

When Ezio came back, he had a piece of bread and a glass of water. With careful and caring hands, he tried to help me lean against some propped up pillows, but he had leaned me against his chest before hand, and his warmth now was a definite comfort. I didn't want to move away from him, and he didn't push me away. Shifting me so that he could push the little pieces of bread into my mouth and tilt the glass of water to my lips, we sat in silence as he nursed me. When the bread was gone and the water was drank, I laid my head against his shoulder, closing my eyes. He took the cloth off of my head and dipped it into the cool water again.

After I had the coolness against my head again, feeling the cold trickles of the water seeping into my hair, Ezio took a hold of me and placed me back against the pillows. With warm and caring eyes, he lifted the blanket back over my body. "I'll be stopping the Pazzi's plan today and protect the Medici," Ezio explained in a whisper, sitting on the edge of the bed and leaning over me. "And _you_ are going to stay here and get better." He raised a finger to his lips before I could retort against it. "I can't stand the thought of you being sick and running out in the streets. Yesterday was enough for me."

For some reason, and maybe it was the fact my defenses were down due to the fact my body was trying to recover, but I felt a stab of fear at the thought of Ezio doing something on his own without me. I think I was afraid that he would learn that he really didn't need me. My hand was reaching out for him again, and I latched onto his cape, tugging at it.

"Please," I hoarsely whispered, "please don't leave me, Ezio. Don't ever leave me."

Ezio stared down at me for a moment before lifting his hand to mine and pulling it from his cape. He held my hand in between his larger hands, and I was only able to barely tell the difference between his gloved hand and his bare hand. They were both so warm and strangely comforting to be cupping my hands.

"I won't," he breathed, smiling down at me softly. "I promise." Dropping my hand, he reached up and brushed some hair away from my face, telling me to get some sleep and that he would be back late tomorrow. "You just focus on getting better for me."

I rested my head into the pillows, my head feeling heavy and everything I tried to gather within just seemed to crumble and become hazy. Without even a second thought, I reached out towards Ezio again, searching for his hand again since it gave me such comfort, gave me something tangible to grasp on to so I knew that I wasn't slipping away. Seeing what I was searching for, he lightly took my hand into his and held it in his warm grasp until I drifted to sleep.

I woke up around noon the next day, Ezio long gone with protecting the Medici. I regretted letting him go alone, but I felt like there wasn't anything I could do— I could hardly move in the first place. Paola sent Anetta to my room, who gave me something small to eat and drink before convincing me that I needed to take a bath, that it would cool me off some. She helped me with caring hands to wash my hair and pour water over my heated skin. Throughout the whole process, I had the shivers despite my body temperature, but it did feel nice to get clean. I just wished that I didn't feel like a child while doing it- 20 years old, and I had some woman help me take a bath. Was I really so helpless?

After the bath, I fell asleep again, feeling a bit better since the bath had indeed cooled me off some. Of course, when I woke up later that evening, I was all sweaty and gross feeling again. I stayed up for about two hours, staring at up at the pasty ceiling above me, feeling worthless and miserable. Although my internal clock had lost all sense of what time it was, the now opened window, thanks to Paola, let me see that it was long after nightfall when Ezio got home. I heard him downstairs, talking to Paola before his footstep plopped up the stairs and into my room. He was surprised to see that I was awake, and immediately went and got me a drink of water.

Once he had settled down, he told me that Francesco managed to kill off one of the Medici brothers, but Ezio had been successful at protecting the one name 'Lorenzo', but Francesco had gotten away. He was going to have to wait for Francesco's next move to kill the de Pazzi man. I promised him that I would be there for that, no matter the cost, to which he just smiled at me. I was glad that my brain was cleared up enough that I could actually process his words.

Although my head was starting to feel a little bit better, I still found myself searching without a thought for Ezio's hand when I went to sleep. I was glad that he let me without asking or even implying anything. He'd just gently hold it gently, smiling, and stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. I was too out of it to fully acknowledge that I was getting...comfortable with the whole thing. I liked it when he let me hold his hand, and I knew that it wasn't just my foggy head that liked it. It was odd because I considered Ezio as my best friend, but I think I was becoming more aware of him.

I woke up in the late morning the next day, alone. I waited for a while until one of the courtesans popped in to check up on me, and I her to get Paola for me. After Paola came into the room, giving me something to eat, I asked her where Ezio was. She told me that he had gone out to go survey the area for a clue on Francesco's movements and also to see if Lorenzo Medici was doing fine. She also proceeded to tell me that my fever was going noticeably down and that I would be better in no time. However my temperature was going down, I still felt like shit, and fell asleep again once Paola left the room.

That evening, when I woke up next, I felt absolutely better. My head was no longer jumbled nor hurting. Smiling to myself, I threw off the covers and jumped out of the bed, having only hesitated a moment when my head spun a bit from getting up too fast. My stomach was slightly twisted from not eating a real meal for a couple of days.

I was happy to have my energy back, and it coursed through me like a raging river. In great excitement, I bounded out of the room and downstairs into the front room, where Paola was talking to a young man. She turned and looked at me at my entrance, and smiled lightly.

After she gestured the man to one of her girls, she turned towards me and chuckled. "Feeling better, I presume?"

I grinned and nodded. "Oh hell yeah. I a LOT better." I pointed to my head. "How do I feel?"

She reached out and pressed her hand to my forehead. "You seem pretty normal."

Rubbing at my stomach, I dodged out from under her touch and headed towards the brothel kitchen. "I'm starving. What do you have to eat?"

After I was given a full meal, I took note that it was getting dark outside. I wondered idly where Ezio was and why he wasn't back yet. I kept my questions at bay for the moment, cleaning up my 'dinner' mess and then going up into my room to change into my spare outfit.

"Hey, Paola," I mused as I walked down the stairs into the front room again, Paola talking with a small group of courtesans. She acknowledged me with a small tilt of her head, her girls turning and walking back into the courtyard. "Why hasn't Ezio come back?"

"He did. You were just asleep when he came back."

I felt the puzzlement on my face. "Oh...well, why isn't he here now?"

A sly smirk spread on her face. "Miss him already?"

"No." My lips turned up into a defensive pout. "No, of course not."

Laughing Paola put an arm around my shoulders, drawing me close to her. "He told me to keep it from you, but since you're better and quite energetic, I'll tell you anyway. He went to go kill Francesco. Tonight."

"What?" I exclaimed, breaking free from her hold. "Wha—where?"

"He said something about the _Palazzo Dela Signora._"

I tilted my head. "The prison?"

"I hear that he is planning to turn the citizens against the Medici," Paola explained. "Upon the tower near the prison is a high place where Francesco can shout his poisoned words to the people without much trouble."

With a step towards the door, I realized that I didn't have any of my weapons on me at the moment. I told myself to forget them since I couldn't properly use them anyways and put my hand to the door. "I'm going," I told Paola.

She didn't try to stop me and only smiled. "_Essere sicuro _(Be safe). Ezio would be upset if you got hurt right after you got over your sickness."

"_Sarò giusto _(I'll be okay)." I exited the bordella and ran out into the streets, trying to remind myself where the prison was in town. The stars were bright above me and the cool night wind brushed along my face, and I had almost forgotten how great it was to be out and about, to actually walk again. I let my legs get use to moving for a bit before scaling a building so that I could scout out the town to see if I could see the _Dela Signora_ from a high vantage point. When I did, I climbed back down to ground level again. I figured that it was best to stay off the roofs tonight since Francesco would be upon the high building and would be able to see me coming a mile away among the roof tops. Besides, running along the rooftops was almost a dead giveaway that I was the enemy. Best to play this game subtly.

I started to hear the crowds before I saw the plaza. There was defiantly boycotting going about— the shouts weren't all too happy. I entered the plaza slowly, trying to blend in with the crowds so that I could get closer to the large building in front of me. Looking up at the moonlit walls of the building, I felt a cold stab in my stomach. That prison tower was the last place that the Auditore men slept before dieing unfairly.

There was a man riding around the crowds, circling once before taking off to the streets again. It was the man named Jacopo from the Templar meeting from the other night. It looked like he was about to go scout some new people to rebel. Shifting my gaze back up to the building, I remembered that Paola had said something about Francesco taking to the rooftops so that his voice could be heard. I tilted my head back to survey the roof line, trying to see if there was any figure there.

To my utter surprise, there was a man standing on the edge of the building, and then it was even more of a surprise when he jumped off.

"_Merda!_" I whispered under my breath, still trying to hide in the crowd. I was concerned until I saw the man land in a cart of hay and even less concerned once I saw that it was Francesco when the man jumped out and started running in the opposite direction of the crowd. Looking up again quickly, I saw Ezio at the edge, his hood over his face and his white clothing reflecting the moonlight.

_Let's save some time, Ezio_, I thought, pushing through the crowds, forgetting subtly. _I'll get him for you._

I took off after the fleeing man while from the corner of my eye I saw Ezio jump from the rooftop and diving for the hay. The de Pazzi looked back at me, and I smirked at him.

"Going somewhere, Francesco?"

He broke off into a faster sprint, and I frowned internally. _Well, of course it wouldn't be __**that**__ easy..._ I picked up my speed and followed him through the Florence streets for a good spell before I was finally catching up to him. He, being only a bit older than I, apparently hadn't spent two years running around a villa and climbing every building that he could, so he ran out of breath quickly. When I got close enough, I flung my body at him and tackled him to the ground. We both rolled a few times, and during the rolling, he had the sense enough to kick me off of him, and we rolled apart. I ended up hitting into a few boxes while he just came to a stop in the middle of the road.

I blamed my recovering brain from my fever, but he was standing over me in the time it took me to sit up. "You little... _assassina puttana!_" he spat at me, raising his sword above his head. I hadn't even noticed he drew his sword. Thinking quickly, I hooked my foot around his leg and yanked it out from under him, making him fall backwards and drop his sword. A pure jolt of power rushed through me, and I instantly put myself about his torso, holding down his arms.

"Let's just stay here 'till Ezio gets here, hm?" I realized that it was odd because I was straddling his stomach...but oh well.

Francesco snarled at me and wriggled around under me, trying to throw me off. He managed to get one of his arms out from my grasp and with that free hand, he was able to push me off of him. He took the chance an pulled out the knife he had on his boot and slashed at me. I tried to dodge it, but the blade caught a hold of my sleeve and sliced my arm lightly, enough to draw blood.

I yelped and clasped my hand around the cut, feeling the warm ooze of the blood. It was already soaking up into my white sleeve, painting dark splotches of read on the thin material.

"_Asino! _(Jackass!)" I exclaimed, squeezing onto my arm and glaring up at Francesco. I was taken aback when I saw that he was totally in shock, or in horror. I looked around in a confused haze, wondering if I seemed so angry that it was life-threatening. He had a look on his face that said that he couldn't believe what he had just done, and his face seemed to pale at the sight of my red stained fingers.

Before I could think about it too much, Francesco stiffened and his eyes dazing. After a moment, he fell to his knees then to his face. The back of his dark clothes were stained with blood pooling from under his left shoulder blade. Ezio stood in his place, hovering over him for a moment before stooping down over the figure and turning him over so that his fading eyes were facing the sky.

"It's over," Francesco breathed in a strained voice. "We'll never win now...the power...the pure power..."

"_Meglio essere felici in questa vita che aspirare a esserlo nella prossima. _(Better to be content in this life, than aspire to it in the next) _Requiescat in Pace._ (Rest in peace)" Ezio whispered, then used his fingers to reach up and close Francesco's eyes, laying him down on the ground. His eyes moved up to me. "You okay?" He warily eyed my bloodied sleeve.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I paused. "I'm all better. Not hot at all."

Without having to even ask him to, he reached out and put a hand to my forehead. He used his fingers to brush aside the pieces of hair falling across my forehead, brushing his fingertips against my skin. It was then I realized that it wasn't just my sickness that liked the caring Ezio. His touch sent a small shock through my body.

"You do feel better," he commented. "but we need do to something about that arm."

I tightened my grip on it. "We'll worry about it later. Are we just going to leave his body in the streets?" Ezio turned to look at Francesco's body on the ground. We were silent for a moment, staring down at the dead body and I felt an eerie feeling form in the pit of my stomach.

Ezio turned to me suddenly. "I know what to do. It'll stop the boycotting." He pointed up to the rooftops. "Meet me up on one of the roofs around the plaza."

"Ah, no, I'm going to help you."

"It'll be fine. You've got a bleeding arm, so I don't want you to climb all the way up the tall _Dela Signore_ building. Just let me do this."

I sighed. "Fine, but I'm not sick anymore." I jabbed my finger in his chest. "You helped take care of me and I have to make it up to you somehow."

He smirked at me insincerely and I gave him and exasperated look. "No." I spat. "Not in that sense." With that, I wished him good luck and used a nearby ladder to get on the rooftops so that I didn't have to over exert my arm. I watched over the edge as Ezio took a hold of Francesco and threw him over his shoulder. I nodded to him when he looked up at me, and then I ran across and over the rooftops back towards the _Plazzo Dela Signora_.

By the time I had gotten back to the plaza, Jacopo was back, riding among his horses through the crowd, prodding the crowd to cheer and rant louder and louder. I looked idly at the top of the tall building, wondering what Ezio was up to. There was a long moment where I just stood upon the rooftop and watched the crowd below become even more rowdy and more determined. _Ezio had better hurry_, I thought in worry. _This could get out of hand really fast_.

Something caught my eye at the top of the _Della Signora_, and I looked up. Before I could focus on anything, an object fell from a top the building, then snapped and swung in the air as it reached the end of a rope. It was a man, his pale skin glowing in the moonlight. He wore no clothes, and his body was covered in blood, the rope tied around his neck in a hangmans' noose. The crowd gasped at the sight, seeing that their prior leader was been killed in this quest to stop the Medici. I think it struck well over half of them just how deep this operation was, and most ran out of the plaza. Jacopo was one of them, staring with horror at the dangling body before turning away and galloping away on his horse.

I stood alone upon the roof, watching with a smug grin down at all the shocked people. Although I found it very disturbing that Ezio chose this manor to display Francesco's death, I also found that it was very effective to put out the words that the Assassin's weren't to be taken lightly.

I jumped as someone approached me, but the arm that was placed over my shoulder told me it was Ezio. "We need to get moving. The guards will be looking for us." I nodded and followed him as we ran across the roofs to a place without so much suspicion. Near the canal at the northern part of town, we stopped on a rooftop that reached far out over the streets and the water. Immediately, we tended to my arm wound, Ezio reaching into his medicine pouch to get some bandages and a vial of alcohol. He helped me roll up my sleeve so that he could tend it more freely.

"This will sting," he warned before he poured the cool liquid over my cut. I sucked in a deep breath, as it felt like a thousand needles were poking into me meaty wound. Ezio wiped up the excess liquid then quickly dressed the wound with the bandage. I thanked him as he finished up, and he rolled down my sleeve again. "You really shouldn't have chased him alone like that," he grumbled. "He could have seriously hurt you instead of just this little slice."

I snorted. "Yeah, and you could have spent all night chasing him yourself while the others overthrew the Medici. I made it ten times more easy for you." However I was retorting against him, I did know that I could have gotten myself killed. But then I remembered the lost and confused look on Francesco's face when he just barely hurt me. "He didn't seem too threatening," I added in.

"That's because you were straddling him." Ezio smirked when I gave him a shocked look. "I was, personally, jealous."

"Oh, you jackass!" I yelled at him, shoving at his chest to push him away from me. It was like shoving at a boulder― hard and impossible to move. Instead of pushing him away, I ended up making myself lose my balance and I found myself toppling down over the edge of the roof, whacking my head against the tiles, making stars flash in my sight. With a now dizzy head, I only registered for a moment that I was falling through the air.

Then I fell into freezing coldness- water, I realized, as I breathed a mouthful.

My arms started to flail, clawing at the water, trying to bring me to the lip of the water. Once I breached the surface, I only had enough time to cough and gasp for air before falling below the surface again.

Of course. How wonderful. I didn't know how to swim.

I knew that I was going to die, I could feel it in my gut. My body was so frantic to get oxygen that I kept breathing in the liquid, making my lungs revolt and making me spew out coughs. I once again found the air beyond the surface of the water, but I could only once again cough and struggle for air before being pushed back down.

I couldn't fight any longer, my energy was being slowly sapped from me. My arms stopped flailing and my lungs burned. My eyes shut against the water and I tried to give myself the knowledge that I was dieing.

A moment later, I found myself coughing loudly, doubled over on my wobbling hands and knees. Someone was pounding on my back between my shoulder blades, and I felt the sharp wind poke into my soaked clothes and hair.

"Narina!" Ezio's panicked voice cut through my coughs. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head, still coughing so loudly my body shook with every exalt. The coughs soon ceased, but much to my dismay, I threw up- a result from the shock and the terror that came from the thought of dieing. There went my dinner all over the Florence street. A dry cloth was draped over my shoulders and Ezio's gloved fingers brush against my cheeks, pulling the hair away from my face.

I wretched one more time before falling silent, taking deep, jagged breaths.

Then...I started to cry.

How scary death was.

Ezio waited for a moment- he was probably afraid that I was going to puke again. He started by rubbing my back soothingly, then, with controlled movements, he pulled me to his warm chest, tucking my head under his chin. I don't know whether it was from the fear of death, or if it was the freezing water with a mix of the chilling fall air, but I was quaking and shivering through my sobs.

"Shh...it's okay," Ezio cooed in my ear. "You're fine, I'm here."

I wanted to push him away because he was mainly the reason that I fell in the first place, but I couldn't bring myself to reject his warmth and comfort. Although never one for someone elses pity, I felt like I needed it right then. And not just anyone's comfort, but only Ezio's. As I clasped my arms up around his neck and pressed my face into his strong and warm neck. He rubbed my back quickly, trying to make me stop shivering. We sat there in a silence for a moment while my sobs died down, drowned out by Ezio's breathy coos. After a while, he sounded more upset about the whole deal than I felt. And once his comforting whispers died out, we sat in each others arms, gripping onto the other tightly. The fear settled and was put aside for the moment as I enjoyed the warmth of Ezio's embrace.

"_Lì sono_!(There they are)." A voice rang out, making Ezio and I look down the street quickly. There was a group of guards charging at up at us. Ezio quickly stood, taking a hold of my hand and dragged me down a small alleyway that we were near. He told me to climb up on his back so that he could carry me up the buildings.

"I'm fine," I convinced. "I'll be able to do it myself.

"Narina, don't push yourself."

I ignored him as we turned around another corner and lifted myself onto the nearby wall, holding Ezio's case over my shoulder and clamping it in my mouth. My arms _were_ still a little wobbly from the almost-drowning episode, so I shifted most of my balance and weight onto my lower half, which wasn't really any better since my legs sort of fell unsteady as well. I was hesitating in my climbing so Ezio ended up climbing past me and reached the rooftop before I did. The guards were already climbing up after us, so Ezio reached down over the edge to grab my hand and pull me up quicker. He took my not-so-great-climbing-as-usual as an excuse to carry me. So he lifted me onto his back, telling me to hold on tight, and started to run over the rooftops. It only took a few minutes for us to lose the guards, Ezio taking to the lower roofs of the town so that it was harder to see our fleeing forms.

"I think we lost them," Ezio huffed after climbing upon a higher roof, out of breath. I prodded him to drop me, and I landed on the tiled roofs with a loud clinking noise. I sighed and fell onto my butt.

"Almost dieing really tires you out..." I mumbled, rubbing my chest, then bringing Ezio's cape back over my shoulders and wrapped around my torso, snuggling up into it.

Ezio was silent for a moment, catching his breath, and then he sighed. "If I knew that you didn't know how to swim, I would have caught you before you fell," he said as he sat down next to me.

I shrugged. "No harm done besides giving me hydrophobia. Besides, I didn't even know that I couldn't swim."

"I'll teach you next summer," Ezio promised, smiling at me when I gave him an exasperated look. I sighed and looked back over the view of the city, staring out over the Florence buildings. It was such a beautiful view, showing all the time and creativity it took to create the city. Not only was it breathtaking, but it was familiar. I thought about it for a good moment while a silence settled between Ezio and I.

It finally hit me. "Hey," I started out in a whisper, gazing out at the city more intently, "isn't this the same rooftop you and Federico showed me when you guys first met me?"

Ezio looked at me for a second then back out to the city. "Yeah, I think it is."

There was another small silence.

"It seems like...such a long time ago when it really hasn't. Like it was some sort of hazy dream, and then I woke up and everything was different."

He slowly nodded in agreement. "It does seem like that." He fell silent, and I looked over at him, concerned. His expression was almost pained, his eyes searching slowly over the structures in our view.

"Hey, Ezio?" I whispered, reached out and taking a hold of his sleeve. "What is it?"

Ezio slowly took his arm out from under my touch, but before I could begin to think twice about it, he reached back and took a hold of my hand into his, grasping my fingers into his strong grip.

He started slowly. "It was only a few days before you showed up when Federico and I last ran around together." He gestured behind him with a flick of his head, and when I looked behind me, I saw a large chapel tower, rising into the sky. "We raced up to the tower. He beat me, of course." I could just imagine, staring up at the towers roof, Federico reaching down to help his younger brother up onto the top, grinning his defeat in the smile I knew all too well. Ezio continued, keeping his eyes away from the tower. "We spoke true that night, giving our say about how great our lives were before. We were happy to cause havoc like the young men we were, no ties to hold us down. We were happy that we had it easy." Ezio squeezed onto my hand. "We wished they'd never change." There was another pause. "And more importantly, that we would never change along with it. Now," he sighed "look were we are. He ended up dead and I'm turning into a notorious assassin."

I could see the pain carved into his face. The longing to have his brother return to his side and run amok with him again was written in place sight through his eyes, the shattered hope for his lost dreams and wishes creating a grave effect throughout his expression. I didn't have a clue about the agonizing pain that came from losing one who you've known your entire life. Even though I admired the Auditore men, I think the only death now that could render me lost and totally alone was Ezio. And with that, I realized how much closer I was to Ezio than anyone in the entire world at the moment.

"Ezio," I whispered, grasping back onto his hand, trying to comfort him, but at a loss for what words to use.

"And I thought I lost all that I had saved from then," he continued in a grim voice, giving me a sideways glance. I titled my head to show him that I was at a loss with his words. Ezio turned towards me slowly, dropping my hand and reaching up to brush my face with the back of his hand. "When I saw you sinking in the water like that...I thought for sure that I was going to lose you."

He stared into my eyes intensely, lifting his other hand to my cheek, the leather of his glove slick against my skin. I froze under his stare, realizing just how close Ezio suddenly was to me. He pressed his forehead against mine, our noses touching at the tips. My body was now well aware of Ezio's touch, a small spark igniting into a flame where ever he was touching me: his hands on my face, his leg resting against mine, even the _breath_ the brushed along my skin. My heart pounded in my chest and my breathing hitched in my throat. "I thought I lost you," Ezio breathed, casting a warm breath along my throat, making me want to quiver. I was reminded of the riddle Leonardo had given me months before, and I wondered if it was really Ezio not considering my feelings that got me upset.

Slowly and carefully, Ezio pressed his lips against mine, the familiar scar on his lips adding an intriguing bump across my lips. It wasn't frenzied nor hurried, but rather measured and hesitated. I had to reign in a strange urge to reach up and touch his stubbly jaw when he moved against my lips slightly. I could feel the blood pound through my veins, my cheeks burning. Just when I realized how...right it felt, he broke away and dropped his hands, turning back to the view. Before I could feel too disappointed, I reminded myself that if I was any other girl right at that moment, Ezio would have pushed me down and rode me right on the rooftop, and I considered myself lucky that I was different.

Ezio took a deep breath. "You're the only one I can really trust with every aspect of my life, Narina."

I smiled lightly, actually liking the thought of Ezio putting his trust in me. "We're in the same boat, Ezio. I trust you with my life..." I touched my chest again, coughing to remind him of the drowning incident. "Apparently."

He smiled, then turned to me. "_Grazie_."

"_Nessuna problema_."

We looked over the city for another moment, letting the small fire between us die down in the chilling air. Ezio stood up from the roof after a minute. "We really should get back."

He reached down and helped me up, securing his cape around my shoulders. "What about Jacopo?" I wondered. "He got away."

"We'll deal with him later," Ezio said, walking over to the edge of the roof. "We have to figure out his movements before we strike. Judging on how fast he fled tonight, I'm thinking that he's going to hide for a while."

I pouted, watching over the edge of the roof as Ezio lowered himself down slowly. "I'm getting really impatient about this whole 'wait then strike' method we're using."

Ezio smiled up at me, dropping down to the ground. "We've got the time, Narina."

I sighed and lowered myself down so that I could climb my way down. "We've got blades too- I insist we use them."

"You can't even use one properly, if you haven't noticed."

Dropping to the ground, I huffed at Ezio and yanked the cape from around my shoulders. "As far as I'm concerned, you don't know how to use YOUR'S properly." I pushed the cape back to his chest.

Ezio smirked at me, taking a hold of the cape in his hand. "I'll train you one day to prove you're wrong." He cocked one of his eyebrows up, a sly yet familiar twinkle in his eyes.

I sighed, taking a hold of his sleeve and dragging him down the street. "That's _not_ what I meant. Just forget that I even brought it up, sicko."

* * *

Another month passed. They skies were always darkened with clouds now, although we hadn't gotten any snow yet. Ezio and I stayed at Paola's, although we did feel bad for imposing on her for so long. She explained that it was the least that she could do since we were working to make the city a better place. Finding information on Jacopo was indeed hard— even Paola's girls had a hard time with it. He spent the month in hiding, and we didn't want to take the time to find La Volpe again. We did, in our days of waiting for any information on Jacopo, find the second Assassin's Tomb in the Basilica Santa Maria del Firore, the II Duomo's secret. The trick of the trial in this Tomb was to use the natural decor inside the building to your advantage. We climbed higher and higher, jumping from the walls to hanging chandeliers. When we got the seal, a vial on it's flat surface, we decided that we should pay a visit back to the Villa as soon as possible to put the seals into their places.

We never mentioned the kiss. We put it behind us, and I had to tell myself that it wasn't anything but friendly, despite how much my body reacted to it.

Another day passed without any luck. As we were walking back to Paola's, I sighed deeply. "Why does this always have to be so hard?" I wondered out loud.

"Well, it's obvious that he's left the city by now. There hasn't been any sighting of him for a good while."

"Where else does he have to go?"

Ezio shrugged. "We still have to figure that out." He suddenly stopped in the middle of the street. "Which reminds me— we need to go to Leonardo's so he can decipher this codex page that I found on Francesco's body."

"Really Ezio?" I sighed. "How could you have forgotten about it before hand?"

"Well, right after I obtained it, I almost had to fish your dead body out of the canal. I had a lot on my mind."

I pouted. He teased me about the whole 'not being able to swim' thing for a while now, even though I knew it scared him quite a bit when it happened. "Let's just go and get this over with."

We stopped by Leonardo's on the way back to Paola's, giving him the codex page. After about an hour passed, the crescent moon rising to the middle of the sky, Leonardo figured out the codex was giving a design for a poisoned blade. He'd have to figure out a way to hollow out Ezio's blade so that he could put a large amount of poison withing that would be distributed through a slight poke through someones skin. He had it done within another two hours, Ezio and I sitting and leaning against the wall to take a quick snooze. Leonardo woke us up when he was done, smiling at the way we leaned out head on each other, he told us to go to the doctors when we ran out of poison then sent us on our way.

The next day, we decided to go back to Monteriggioni. We said goodbye to Paola, thanked her for the hospitality, and set out to go home. We arrived mid-day, tethering up our horses at the stalls. There were noticeably more people wondering around the town, and Ezio winked and smiled at many women that he 'accompanied' months before. I tried not to let it bother me, but it still did.

We stopped by the small office and said hi to Claudia, who threw herself upon Ezio in an embrace, complaining about how he had been gone for almost a half a year. She was even sort of happy to see me, telling me that it had been a while, giving me an awkward hug. While I gave Claudia a short story of the past 5 months, Ezio went upstairs to go see his mother. In the meanwhile, after I got done talking with Claudia, I went into Mario's study.

He was sitting at his desk, and looked up at my entrance. I smiled and waved at him.

"Narina!" He stood from his desk immediately, walking around with open arms. "_È così buono per vederla di nuovo! _(It's so good to see you again!)"

"It has been far too long, Mario!" He pulled me into a hug, then held me out at arms length.

"Did Ezio come back with you?"

"Of course." I gestured to the walkway above Mario's study. "He's just seeing his mom."

"I see." Mario let go of me. "What have you guys accomplished in this period of time?"

I walked over to Mario's desk, jumping and sitting on the edge. "Francesco de' Pazzi is dead. We now look for Jacopo de' Pazzi."

Mario chuckled, walking back around his desk. "Isn't everybody these days? We've been on the look out for a couple of weeks now with no luck."

I nodded. "Ezio and I have been in the same boat. We decided that he's hiding somewhere pretty damn well. Ezio had a plan to discuss with you."

"That I do." We both turned towards the entrance that led to the courtyard, watching Ezio walk in with a smug smile.

Mario threw a hug on him. "Good to see you so well, _nipote_. Tell me, what is this plan Narina has told me about."

Ezio pulled down his hood and stood next to me in front of the desk, holding out a small piece of paper. "This will help up," Ezio explained. "It's a list of his co-conspirators. We track them down and ask them questions. One of them will have to give us answers."

Mario took a hold of the list. "Excellent!" He looked over the names. "Surely these men lack the resources that Jacopo have, and they will be easy to find. I'll put my scouts on watch as soon as possible."

"_Grazie_, Uncle," Ezio said, then reached into his bag. "I have something else for you as well." He pulled out the two codex pages that we had deciphered. "More pages for the wall."

Mario eagerly took the pages and looked over them. "Hm...let's see here..." He paused for a moment. "What is this? What does it mean when it says 'the truths are in the vault'?"

I leaned back over the desk to try and see was he was looking at. "What?"

Mario shook his head. "This script just roughly translates to even more damned puzzles, something about 'the secrets and the truth lie in the vault'. It says something here about some pieces of Eden being the main concern for the problem, but there are no answers or explanations. At least not by itself." Mario walked up to the Codex Page Wall and placed them upon the wall. "We'll have to find more to figure it out."

"Of course," Ezio agreed. "But we'll have to put it off to another day. I'm determined to attend Jacopo's death."

"Whatever you say, Ezio." Mario reached out and took a hold of Ezio's shoulder. "But I should teach you a few more things if you wish to kill all these _bastardi_. Meet me out at the training ring."

We spent the rest of the day in the practice field, Mario giving us more tips on how to dodge and even how to disarm our enemies. I turned down most of the training due to the fact that I didn't fight much anyways, but it was nice to know how to dodge some sword swings.

It was just like we were in the two years of training again. We stopped once the sun was on the horizon, sinking lower. Ezio and I thanked Mario for the training, and then we climbed up the side of the villa to sit on the roof like we always had. He laughed and joked about how we felt slightly younger sitting there under the familiar sky and stars. And maybe it was because we were getting older that we decided to go inside before one of us fell asleep like we used to.

He still walked me to my room before he left for his. He gave me a quick, one-armed hug, thanking me for sticking with him through all the troubles. I smiled and told him that I was doing it all on my own will. With a grin, he kissed my forehead and bade me goodnight, turning and walking to his room. I fell asleep with a small smile that night.

I woke up to shouting the next morning. As I sat up in the bed, I realized that it was one of Mario's men from outside.

"We found them, _signore_!" They were yelling. "We found Jacopo's men!"

* * *

**This chapter went to hell on me.**

**I shouldn't have looked up that damn video on Youtube, and I would have been fine. UGH!**

**Sorry for the lame kiss. I didn't want it to be too much (I'm taking my sweet, sweet time with this), so you can beat me with a stick repeatedly. XD**

**Question of the Day: Which of the Assassins, or Templars, or just normal people do you like the most in the entire Assassin's Creed story line?**

**Mine is a three way tie between Ezio, Altair, and Shaun (for some odd reason, Shaun has to be in there. XD He's just so sarcastic and silly.)**

**Speaking of favorite things, check out SporkedGamer's Video she made for some Assassin's Creed couples! She's amazing! XD  
http:/www(.)youtube(.)com/watch?v=ztdfLjuZHos&playnext=1&videos=CAdUnbeqsXs **

**Thanks, and review! :3**


	14. Painting With Blood

**-Sorry this chapter took so long (also that it's very, very long XI) I had it almost done last week, but the file somehow got **corrupted** and I had to rewrite it all over again. Sorry. :(  
****-I _finally_ got to play AC2 again last week. :3 That made me **extremely** happy.  
****-I was told that the '**romantic**' scene in this chapter was really _pretty_. **However,** I felt that it is...hmm, missing something. :/  
****-I gave in to two people this week and gave away my plot line for this story... XI I'm such a weak individual...  
****- School starts in **two weeks**. :C That means...well,** not much time** to work on the story. XC  
****-You guys should really listen to **sad or touching **music (something instrumental—words will ruin it) when you read the end of this chapter. :3 It makes it that much better.  
****-I want to thank SporkedGamer for nagging me to make this shorter. It would have been 'holy-fuck-me' long if it wasn't for her!**

**Thanks for the reviews!:**

**-Kagekitsonegal: **:3 Thanks. I've been trying really hard for this romance to settle in...  
**-Acro111: ***hides behind you * Thanks for protecting me! XD Well, Narina DOES know how to swim technically, she just doesn't remember how. XD  
**-napanapa: **yay for almost-cute kisses. :3  
**-EzioAuditorefan: **you changed your name! :3 Good thing I re looked or else it'd be your old one! :3  
**-lightan117: **I know, right! I would love to hug and cuddle Ezio!  
**-CreativeChica39:**Cooliolicious? XD That's an awesome word!  
**-pinksrollingstone: **aww...I wish Altair was _my_ husband...  
**-SafetyPinStitches: **yeah, I didn't want Narina to fall head over heels for Ezio just yet. :3 It's going to take more than a timid kiss to do that.  
-**McGinnis INC.: **Thanks again for the long and constructive review! :3 It means a lot to me and it defiantly helps me improve!  
-**Brittany: **thanks for the review! :3  
-**Dragon's-Maidens: **huh...sorry for the 'friendly' kisses. :( and I'm honored that I've inspired you. :3 I'll be here for you, okay.  
-**IpiRayan: **Thanks so much! :3 And don't forget to give yourself points for being absolutely amazing!  
-**Midnight Eternial:** Thanks for the review, and I'll be here to help you out! :3

* * *

_With the lightning this close,  
I can see that so much in this world is make believe.  
And this ticking clock isn't for me,  
and still nobody knew I need you._

"I Need You" by Jack's Mannequin

* * *

**Chapter 13: Painting with Blood**

By the time I had gotten dressed properly and sufficiently fed, Ezio was all ready to go, waiting for me down in the front room, strapping on his weapons, his hood lowered. The sun was just barely rising, casting a warm pink across the sky. We took some time to walk through the Monteriggioni streets, stopping by the fabricators to get Ezio a better set of armor while also stocking up on throwing knifes and smoke bombs. Ezio put me on smoke bomb control, giving me a small, teasing joust, reminding me of my _last_ smoke bomb encounter. I ignored him the best I could, stuffing the small orbs into the pouches around my waist. After we filled the rest of our pouches with medical needs, we met up with Mario at the stables.

Mario had two horses already saddled up for Ezio and I, well rested and their coats brushed. He gave Ezio a strong pat on his shoulder and gave me a warm hug. "Be careful, Narina," he said to me, holding me out in front of him. "Ezio seems to have a hard time keeping you safe."

I laughed out loud, even more so when Ezio narrowed his eyes at his uncle. "I'll be fine," I assured Mario.

Once I had climbed upon my horse, Ezio approached his uncle. "While we were in _Firenze_, Narina and I found some Assassin Tombs. She wasn't lying when she said she had a good idea where they were."

"And? What did you find?"

"I have the two seals that we found up in my room. If you wish, uncle, you can go and place them in the sanctuary for me." Ezio nodded to his uncle, lifting himself up onto his horse, settling into the saddle.

Mario was in a small state of disbelief, but he shook his head and smile up at us. "Very well. _Buona Fortuna_. My men will help you scope out Jacopo's men. Meet up with them and find out what they have to tell."

"I will." Ezio reached up and pulled his hood back over his face, turning to gaze back at me. He nodded once and we dug our heels into our horses sides, kicking up dirt and dust as the horses raced down the road.

We arrived in San Gimignano about three and a half hours later, leading our horses to the stables just outside of the gate. Ezio helped me down from my horse and tied it up for me. While he was busy doing that, I looked over the large gate that opened up before me, remembering the last time that I was at these gates, I watched many men get slaughtered. It was strange to think about death happening in an area that seemed so calm. To think that we had Assassinated a young man only about half a year ago in this very same town. Being an Assassin meant seeing the shadows and secrets within the cities walls, to look upon the dusty streets and fading bricks and think of the corruption that happened within.

We took some time to wander around the streets aimlessly, checking out the Art merchants stall to see if there was anything that we could buy to liven up the Villa. While we were browsing through the paintings, a scruffy looking man approached us, and I immediately recognized him to be one of Mario's mercenaries.

"_Ser_ Ezio," he greeted. Ezio nodded to the art merchant and then led us away from the crowds and the stalls.

"What do you have for me?" Ezio asked once we were in a small circle together.

"We have located Antonio Maffei standing upon the tallest tower in San Gimignano, which is the Santa Maria Assunta at the middle of the city." The man pointed towards the general direction, farther into the city. "He's gone mad from knowing his death arrives him, shouting his scriptures from his so-called savior and placing a large amount of archers around him. It will be very difficult to approach him without causing a problem."

"_Grazie._" Ezio nodded to the mercenary than took a hold of my wrist and led me towards the large tower that reached into the gray skies. The building was indeed tall, and almost dizzying to look upon. Among the roofs that surrounded the tall building were archers, holding a readied arrow to their bows, prepared to sling one at anyone who tried to oppose them. Antonio's shouts were echoed throughout the streets that winded around the tall tower, the scriptures that he had put his faith in.

With a thorough observation of the situation, I found that it would be indeed difficult to put this man to rest without causing a big scene.

"How are we going to do this?" I whispered to Ezio, who was gazing up to the top of the tower,

Slowly, Ezio looked around at all the archers. "We need a distraction," he responded. "But there's no reason to do this in total secrecy—he knows I come for him."

"So what's the plan to avoid you getting a million arrows shot into you back?"

Ezio turned to me and smiled. "You're going to distract them."

"Me?"

"I need you to lead their attention away long enough so that I can get past that point-" he pointed up to a window high upon the tower— "and after that, you need to lose them and have them return to their posts so that Antonio thinks that there is nothing wrong."

I didn't like the idea. I could see myself getting an arrow through my shoulder as I ran away from the men. "How do I 'lose' them Ezio? It's easier said than done."

Suddenly, Ezio took a hold of my waist and pulled me towards him. Before I could even register through my shock of what he was doing, I felt him lift the pouches that were hanging from my belt. "You have smoke bombs," he murmured to me, his breath weaving through my hair. I squirmed away from him, feeling my cheek warm slightly. He grinned at my reaction, letting me go. "You can use those to slip away."

"What if I fail miserably at the smoke bomb things?"

Ezio once again reached for the pouch at my waist, this time not pulling me towards him. He opened it with his fingers and pulled out the orb, holding it up towards my face. "A word of advice, Narina: you do throw them on the ground, but this time," he twisted the ball in his hand, putting a small button like circle in my face, "make sure you hit the button on the ground."

In a shamed embarrassment, I swiftly snatched the ball out of his hand and stuffed it back in my pouch. Huffing in annoyance, I looked up at Ezio. "Okay, well, why would these guys chase after me in the first place? I mean, a young girl running across the roofs doesn't look that suspicious."

"Word has gotten around about you, Narina," Ezio explained, and strangely, unbuckling his straps around his outfit, lifting off his armor, unstrapping his swords and taking off both of his blade bracers. "A young, beautiful siren running around with the Assassin. We're quite infamous now."

"What are you doing?" I asked, totally distracted by him suddenly flinging off his buckles and straps.

Ezio finished with his straps, and suddenly pulled his robes over his head. "However, even if you do have a reputation," Ezio explained, messing with his hair, "it'll probably be more effective if you wear my robes and make them think you're me." He handed his robes to me, his strong body dressed in the normal white, dress shirt that he wore under his robes, his trousers tucked into his heavy duty boots. "They'll be too big for you, but at least if you wear my armor, you won't be as badly hurt if they shoot you with arrows."

I sighed, heaving the heavy robes into my arms. "Thanks for your concern," I muttered. He helped me put on the robes, cinching and tucking in enough cloth so that it sort of fit to me. The armor was an epic failure, they were much too big for my torso and shoulders. Ezio decided not to use them in any case—they would impair my climbing and running skills anyways. He undid his hair, letting it rest against his neck and used the cloth to pull my hair away from my face so that it wouldn't stick out. It was defiantly a different experience to have him pull the hood down over my face than me pulling it over his. In a strange way, it felt like a shift of power between us. The inside of his hood smelled of him, his masculinity and his sweat. Bending over to gaze under my hood, he brushed aside my bangs, tucking them behind my ears, placing the tips of his fingers against my cheeks. Standing back and taking the sight of me in, Ezio laughed.

"The robes suit you! But I think you're a little bit too short to be considered myself."

"Vaffenculo_, (fuck off)" I growled, taking a hold of the robes and adjusting them._ "I'm going now." I turned and looked up upon the nearby wall, trying to find a good path to climb upon.

"Narina?"

I looked back at him. "What?"

Ezio smiled at me, and I was once again reminded that he was extremely handsome. His broad shoulders and chest could be seen under the stretching, thin fabric of his shirt, his strong and composed facial structure framed by his dark Auditore hair. His hand reached up under the hood, and brushed against my cheek. "Please be careful," he murmured, intensely staring into my eyes. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself you got hurt during this operation."

I laughed halfheartedly. "Well, you better. You're throwing me up as the target."

He pouted, opened his mouth to object, but I shook my head and smiled at him, telling him not to worry about it. I climbed up a little bit higher, and it was only a minute later that I heard the screams.

"There he is!" I heard Antonio scream, and I kept my head lowered, afraid that if they didn't see Ezio's strong jaw peeping out from the hood, they would know it wasn't him. In an instant, an arrow crashed and broke against the wall right next to my head. Never giving a backward glance to Ezio down in the street, I climbed higher, praying to God that I wouldn't get stabbed with the arrows. He probably was already climbing the tower anyways. I managed to get upon the roof safely, but my internal celebrations was short lived for I realized that many of the archers were quickly approaching me. I found an escape route that didn't have a lot of running guards and flying arrows and took it, sprinting across the roofs and jumping across the streets. Ezio's robes were a lot more easy to maneuver in than I had initially thought, although they were pretty clingy and made my body that much sweatier.

I circled around the tower upon the roofs, gathering up as many archers that I could before taking off towards the northern part of the city, many of them pursuing me with their swords drawn, while the others stood upon nearby higher roofs and shot their arrows at me. Even when I was running away from the tower, I could still hear Antonio screaming out. An arrow caught and ripped through my sleeve, barely nicking my arm. A sharp sting went through my arm, and I felt a drip of blood fall down my arm. I hoped that the time that I had been running was enough for Ezio to climb past the point that he told me, because this was getting too close for comfort. I jumped to a large, high rooftop, reaching back into my pouch. I fumbled with the orb in my hands, making sure that the button was on the bottom side so that it would be pressed when I threw it down. _Here goes nothing!_ I threw the orb down onto the roof, and I was suddenly running through a cloud of smoke.

There was no time to celebrate my success on the smoke bomb throwing. Coughing and waving the smoke away from my face, I quickly swung over the edge of the roof, dropping down to the ground, tucking in my legs and rolling twice until I came to a stop. Without a backwards glance, I stood and continued to run down the street, hoping to find a hiding place so that I could rid myself of the clingy, sweaty robes. I had no idea how Ezio dealt with it.

Once I had lost the guards, I was in a narrow alleyway, in the shade of the towering buildings. I immediately lowered the hood from around my face, sighing out loud when the cool air touched my face. There were drops of sweat running down the side of my face, and I rubbed them away with my sleeve. I could only imagine how sweaty Ezio got after running around in the robes. Sweat rolling down his neck and down his back, down his chest and... I shook my head, realizing that I was just imagining Ezio sweating _without_ the robes. I huffed again before unbuckling and lifting the robes over my head. After I had the white cloth folded over my arms, I made my way back towards the Santa Maria Assunta, hoping that Ezio was done with the 'business' by now.

My hopes were lifted when I walked into the plaza before the building and there were no shouts echoing through the streets. I inclined my head backwards to gaze up at the tall building. I didn't see anything, so I continued to stare definitely at the top, wondering after a moment where the hell Ezio was.

Suddenly, something gripped at my waist, and out of instinct I gasped and jumped away, quickly turning around to look at who was behind me. I growled, and relaxed. "God damn it, Ezio," I spat.

The young man grinned at me charmingly. "I see you've tired of my robes." The sleeves of his dress shirt were splattered with blood, even the front of it having a few speckles. He was holding his armor in his arms, apparently having went and got them from the alley we left them in.

"They were hot," I complained, handing Ezio the robes. "I don't know how you do it."

Shrugging, he took a hold of the white garbs from my hands. "I become accustomed to it after a while." He unfolded the robes and held them out in front of him. "It's even almost winter now. You should try wearing it in the middle of the summer." I 'oh'-ed in an exaggerated way, imagining how unbearable it would be under the sweltering sun.

After Ezio had redressed himself with his robes, his armor placed on him, we left the small plaza in search of some of the other Mercenaries. We didn't have to search for long, one of them calling us over as we walked around the corner.

"_Salute, _Ezio," the mercenary greeted as we approached him. "My men and I have heard that Bernardo Baroncelli is in the city."

"_Bene_," Ezio mused with a grin. "Tell me where he is and I'll finish him."

"That's the problem. He was arrested by Lorenzo de Medici days ago, thrown into jail. However, he escaped from his way to Constantinople. We believe him to be somewhere in San Gimignano, although we don't know where exactly."

"Alright." Ezio turned to me and nodded. "We'll see if we can't pin him down."

A sigh escaped my mouth. I was tired of this whole searching the city through and through to find our targets. Once you had done it for about a year, you got tired of it. But I knew that I would have many more years that I would have to flip the cities upside down just to dig up information.

It was a little bit after noon when Ezio caught sight of Bernardo through his eagle vision. We were upon the roofs in the eastern part of town, looking down upon a small area with merchant stalls and a small well in the middle of the area. Both of us jumped down from the roof, immediately blending in with the crowds that surrounded the area. There was no reason to set Bernardo in fear. He would most likely run and that would take valuable time.

Bernardo was mumbling to the two guards that were at each of his sides as he passed the group we were standing in. "I'll be fine, as long as I keep moving," he said in a rush,the fear clear in his voice. "When he comes...if he comes...I'll just move to another place. It'll be fine...it'll be fine." I felt a pang of regret as I considered the fact that this man was truly scared about his death. He wanted to live, and yet who where we to deny him that? I recalled what Ezio had told me before, that some people have to die in order for things to change, but...was that really the only way?

Ezio moved out of the crowds after Bernardo has passed us, and immediately, the man in the red robes caught sight of him and started to run off. But Ezio was as quick as an eagle, rushing passed the guards that stood to face him. With a simple jump upon the larger mans back, Ezio knocked them to the ground. I rushed up towards them, calling attention to the guards that were preparing to attack Ezio. I distracted them briefly, using my knew found dodging skills to keep myself safe, while Ezio interrogated Bernardo quickly before pushing the blade into the mans neck.

By the time Ezio had killed off the two guards attacking me, more filled into the area. Ezio pushed me aside quickly, telling me to meet him somewhere nearby so that he could deal with this. I wanted to object, but there was no in hell that we'd both make it out of this if I was here as his burden. Climbing up a nearby, crumbling wall, I took to the roofs before the guards could follow. I didn't run far enough to get the battle scene out of my sight. I watch in eagerness with a little bit of worry. Also, with a bit of fascination. I had never take the time to watch Ezio actually fight. His movements were somehow graceful, his eyes always a step ahead of his actions. There was no hesitation when he killed, and every step was followed through with another anticipated move, whether it'd be his own or the men he was fighting. He was strong and confident, his abilities shown well. How did he get so good without me even noticing?

When the whole area was covered with blood and bodies, Ezio climbed to the roofs, catching sight of me and running across to me. Not only were his sleeves now covered in blood, but the front was soaked with it, and there were even a few splattered dots on his face. There was the other thing besides walking around in heavy robes that I had no idea how he could deal with: walking around covered in blood.

We took a small break, sitting on the edge of a rooftop while Ezio explained to me what information Bernardo had given him.

"He said that they meet at the church," Ezio said, letting one of his legs dangle down over the edge, the other propped up with his heel resting against the edge of the roof.

"Can we trust his word?" I wondered, kicking my legs over the edge like a child. "I mean, would they really risk meeting together in the middle of the city?"

"_Non so._ (I don't know)," he admitted. "We'll just have to see what the others tell."

A small silence settled between us. "You know," I started slowly, keeping my eyes on my kicking feet, "I was impressed with your fighting today. You've improved a lot."

I heard him chuckle, but I didn't look at him. "_Grazie,_" he said in a small sigh.

* * *

It was nightfall by the time we figured out where our next target was. Some of the mercenaries inside the city told us that there were some groups patrolling the fields that surrounded the small city. Once we had met up with one group, they told us of Francesco Salvati's location, hiding in a Villa north-east of town. Ezio was given command over a group of mercenaries, and I could see that he liked the idea of it. Taking siege of the villa is what took the most time. Salvati had been anticipating our arrival, locking the gates of the Villa and setting guards everywhere to defend the area. While Ezio fought through the guards, it was my duty to climb over the walls with a few other mercenaries who would cover my back while I opened the gates for Ezio and the other men to come through. It was a hard thing to do without getting killed, having to constantly look over my shoulder to make sure I was in the safe zone. Once the gates were opened, me having to start over a few times due to the archers who lined the villa, Ezio and the rest of the mercenaries rushed in. At that point, there was no doubt that we were going to win this battle. Before any of us knew it, Ezio had jumped upon Salvati, gracing the man with his last words before slicing one of the hidden blades through his throat. Although we were victorious, Ezio had a gash through his shoulder, his robes sliced through and his own blood splotching through the material. We stayed up that night, tending to the wounded men, burying the dead.

With only a couple of hours of sleep, we headed out for Monteriggioni around noon the next day, going to restock our supplies, repair armor, and to talk with Mario. He told me as we were riding home that Salvati had told Ezio that Jacopo only came out during the night to meet with the others, and yet he was still unsure as to where they all met.

Mario was surprised to see us back so soon, but understood our circumstances. We used some of the built up money in the money box to buy some more supplies, then used the rest to pay off for some architectural uses, renovating the town so we would be getting an Art Shop and a Fabrics shop. We also took some time to scrub the living daylights out of Ezio robes and clothes, trying to get the blood to come out.

During the latter part of the day, Mario asked Ezio and I to his office.

"I've just finished looking over the other Codex pages you brought to me earlier," he explained once Ezio and I were in the room, Ezio leaning against one of the walls while I sat on the edge of Mario's desk. "The words that are written on these pages, I know they're very important," Mario mused, reaching up and touching the pages that were up on the wall. "The ones that we have now, even they connect with each other in some subtle way. I think it's best that we prioritize getting the Codex Pages as soon as possible."

"So, we hunt harder now, is what you're saying?" Ezio stood up from the wall he was against, walking over next to his uncle to stare at the wall of codex pages.

"If it isn't too much trouble, _nipote."_

We all came to an agreement that we would keep our eyes peeled for more Codex Pages. Mario had his heart set on finding all of them, positive that they held a secret all together. Ezio and I ate a small meal before we went to bed, exhausted from our past 36 hours of no sleep.

* * *

I woke up in the middle of the night, shaken awake from a loud howl that breathed against my window. Groaning, I flipped off the covers, gathering up my pillow, prepared to move into another room where the wind didn't howl so loud. As I moved across the room, heading towards the door, I looked through the window. What I saw utterly surprised me.

I ran to the window, dropping my pillow on the floor. Pressing my nose up against the glass, my breath fogged up in a lopsided circle, melting the small crystals that had formed upon the glass.

"Snow!" I whispered in excitement. "It's snowing!" The back courtyard was covered with a layer of snow, sticking to the marble decorations outside. Although I knew it only meant hardships and freezing-ass days, I was excited to experience the years first snow after summer. Winter had finally arrived.

I turned quickly away from the window, jumped over my abandoned pillow on the floor and ran through the Villa, sliding across the front room and bolting up the stairs. I avoided going through Maria's room, so I ran over the small walkway that went over Mario's study. As I ran over, I stopped and stared down over the edge of the marble railing. Mario was still awake at his desk, staring over some of the codex pages with a perplexed look on his face.

"Mario!" I whispered excitedly at him, making him look up in shock at me. "_Nevica_ (it's snowing)!" Before he could respond, I pushed away from the railing and ran into the small nook in the nearby hallway, climbing up the ladder that was leaned there.

Within a few moments, I was up into Ezio's dimly lit room, clawing at his covers. "Ezio! Ezio! Wake up! It's snowing!" When I got his covers off, I had to pause a moment to accept the fact that Ezio was practically naked under his covers;his strong and broad chest bare, his usually tied back hair loose against his neck, the pair of pants he had on sitting loosely upon his hips.

He growled under his breath, rubbing at his eyes. "What are you harping out about?"

I had abandoned his bed, letting him get up on his own accord, and was picking up his robes and boots from off the ground. Ignoring his jibe, I practically dressed the man as he stood up, half-awake and half-confused, throwing his robes over his head, tightening his straps, instinctively lowering his hood so I could see his face, then pushing him back onto the bed, convinced that it would take longer if he were to put on his own boots.

"Narina, what are you—hey wait!" By the time Ezio had finished his sentence, I had already heaved him towards the ladder, practically dropping him down the small drop, following quickly behind him. I led him across the small walkway, exclaiming quietly down to Mario again about the frozen drops falling from the sky. Mario observed Ezio with his undone hair and hazy, sleepy eyes with a chuckle.

In a rush, I decided that I didn't have time to dress myself warmer—my normal clothes would have to do. Instead of taking the time to put my own boots on, I pressed my feet into the slipper-like shoes. In another moment, I was dragging Ezio outside the back door, into the small courtyard behind the Villa, into the dazzling, snow covered world. Our footsteps crunched loudly underneath our shoes, leaving behind a path of caved in shoe prints.

"Isn't it beautiful, Ezio?" I asked in awe, staring over the untouched blanket of snow laid down upon the courtyard.

"Mn," Ezio mumbled, running his fingers through his hair.

I kept my eyes out on the fluff of snow. "Do you think Leonardo likes the winter?"

Ezio, more awake now, gave me an odd look. "Why do you suddenly ask that?"

With a sweep of my hand, I gestured to the court of untouched snow. "I mean, it looks like a large, unpainted canvas. I bet he get's a ton of inspiration in the winter, wanting to paint upon this natural palette." Ezio nodded, understanding what I was meaning, but didn't say anything in return. He simply stepped out into the untouched snow, lifting his hand up towards me. I stared at in in confusion, folding my hands together at my waist. "What?"

Ezio smiled. "Take my hand."

"Why?"

"Come on." His smile grew larger. "Don't ask why. It'll be fun."

"No funny ideas?"

"No funny ideas." Instead of waiting for me to take his hand, he took a step back towards me and lifted my hand into his. Instantly he pulled me out into the open courtyard, artfully pulling me close to his chest. Before I was able to accuse him of lying about the whole 'funny' ideas, he lifted my left hand up into the air, placing his other hand on my waist.

I suddenly realized what he was doing. "I don't know how to dance, Ezio," I objected, pulling away from him.

"Well, I do." Ezio held me close, smiling down at me as I slightly struggled. "It's all in the lead, Narina. Put your hand up on my shoulder."

"Ezio..." I started in a disapproving tone. The snow falling from the sky slowed into a dainty flutter, lingering in the sky just a moment longer than before.

"We're making our image, Narina," Ezio explained quickly, pulling on my waist, my body automatically twisting around with his pull. "You said this is like a large canvas. Let's paint our own picture on it."

I pouted at him, not liking how my body was participating in his game. "We're not artists like Leonardo, Ezio."

"Who says we have to be?" He gently pushed at my ankles with his foot. "Step with your right foot first. Follow my foot pattern."

Seeing that I had given in, Ezio elegantly pulled me across the courtyard, somehow making my clumsy trips and mess ups even seem graceful and dainty. After a moment of tested steps in a slow twist, our footsteps crunching into the small blanket of snow, Ezio began to lightly put pressure on my waist, taking larger steps and pulling me farther through the courtyard. I barely realized, through my elation of liking the feel of dancing with Ezio, that my feet were starting to grow cold. Once I had grown accustomed to the new movement and the speed that we moved, Ezio began to throw some twirls in, twisting my hand within his, extending his arm out to spin me out away from him.

A strange, raw feeling formed within me, an unfamiliar twist of giddiness mixed in with a knowledge of Ezio's touch. Soon, we were bounding across the courtyard hand-in-hand, forgetting about dancing, loving the feel of the snow squishing below our feet. My small laughs busted out through my lips every now and again as I pulled and tugged against Ezio's lead, feeling the rebellious side appear once more within me. Our laughs bounced off of the Villa's walls and echoed back at us, making it seem like we were the only two on the earth.

Winter had never made me so happy.

Once our footstep littered the once untouched surface of snow, I was finally hopping from foot to foot, my toes going numb from the biting snow. Ezio noticed and kindly lifted me up off the ground, making me lean against his chest and wrap my arms around his strong neck. Although I objected to it, I was really grateful for his consideration. Lifted into his arms, he twisted me around a couple of times, my giddy laughs erupting from my chest. The snow fell all around us, melting as soon as they came in contact with our skin. The tip of my nose slightly burned under the crisp air of the snow, and I pressed it into the crook of his neck, breathing in a small whiff of him.

"Narina."

I lifted my head up, my cheek rubbing against his rough jaw. The sudden contact made all the happy-go-lucky feelings dash away, and a tight feeling twisted in my stomach, making my breath hitch in my throat, my heartbeat stuttering. I felt his body tighten under me. Apparently, he felt the odd shock between us too. Our breathing was the only thing I could hear at the moment, growing more and more unstable as we became more and more aware of the situation of being so close to each other.

It was when the apex of my thighs started to burn and lightly pulse that I drew the line.

Pulling my face away from him, I wriggled in his hold until he lowered me back to the ground, taking his hands away from me. However we both were well aware of just what had happened, I huffed loudly, brushing the hair away from my eyes. "We're going to go get Jacopo tomorrow, right? We should probably go get some sleep."

Ezio tore his gaze away from me, looking over the courtyard. "Not a masterpiece, I'll admit," he murmured.

I rubbed at my arms. "I guess it's the thought that counts." When he turned back to me, I gestured to the villa with a flick of my head. "It's really cold, and we really need to rest for tomorrow. Let's go inside." As we walked into the villa, I kept my eyes away from him. I whispered goodnight, walking into my room instead of watching him climb up the stairs. When I closed the door, I leaned back against it, sighing loudly and running my hand through my hair. When I thought back on what had just happened, I instinctively pressed my legs tighter together, fearing for the throb the return. _Sleep it off_, I mentally told myself, lifting my feet up so that I could pull off my soggy shoes. There was another moment that I paused and thought about the event, then I sighed again and climbed into my bed, curling up into a ball to ward off the cold.

* * *

Since we had went to bed so early the next day, both Ezio and I were up early despite our late night winter celebration. Speaking of winter, the full night of snowing left a good, thick blanket on the ground, and I was secretly glad that it wasn't snowing that morning. It would have sucked traveling in a snow storm. When I voiced my concern about it, Ezio told me "It won't stay. The first snow never stays." We were on the road after eating a good meal, leaving hoof prints in the snow as proof of our departure.

We weren't even entered into San Gimignano when we ran into a group of mercenaries, waiting for us near a building just East of San Gimignano.

Dismounting our horses, the leader of the group explained "_Ser_ Ezio, we have found Stefano da Bagone. He has taken refuge in the Monte Oliveto Maggiore just down this road." He pointed down a small road that veered off of the main path. "It's the small Abby when you see it. Be careful-he has guards that are dressed like monks. Scout the area well before you strike."

Ezio and I took off for the Abby on foot, not wanting to cause a disturbance with the horses. As we approached the entrance, I noticed a group of monks walking around the entrance with swords drawn. It was clearly obvious that they weren't actual Monks. Ezio gave me a quick look and a gesture, telling me silently that we needed to get upon the rooftop somehow. We waited until the patrolling guards passed by the entrance again, walking away from us. Ezio gave me a nudge, telling me to go first. With a slight nod, I sprinted towards the Abby, crunching through the snow, pressing myself against the wall for a moment before I reached up for a hold on the bricks. Ezio was right behind me, covering my back for me just in case the guards caught us climbing the walls. Once upon the roof, crouching down to keep attention at low risk, I shook out my stiffened fingers, not use to having to use such small crevices for my hand grips when climbing.

Ezio turned to me. "You still have some smoke bombs, right?"

I automatically reached behind me, patting the pouch that rested at my waist. I felt the hard, round object within and I nodded. "_Si_."

"Create a distraction for me when it's all done so that I can get away easily."

I nodded again. "Of course." I half smiled. "Make sure to press the button, right?"

The serious, straight lipped Ezio disappeared as he smirked at me. "_Esattamente _(Exactly)." He reached out and touched my cheek with his fingers, making a small shock branch out within me. "Stay out of sight and keep low," he whispered. I nodded reassuringly at him. "And make sure to use the Smoke Bomb right this time."

I pouted at him. "I will." He laughed lightly, then his face fell back into serious mode, his strong jaw clenching from under his hood. He stood upon the roof, tilting his head around like an eagle searching for it's prey. He walked to the edge and jumped off without looking back at me. I quickly scrambled over, gazing down after him. The chaos had already started by the time I had looked over, the guards rushing towards Ezio, the actual Monks running in fear. Calmly, Ezio stood in the same spot, his gaze locked on a man across the Abby. Suddenly, Ezio was ducking and dodging, weaving through the guards that had surrounded him, making a B-line towards the older looking man that was now running to exit the Abby. I followed along the edge of the roof with Ezio, reaching back into my pouch to get the smoke bomb so that I was ready. There wasn't much of a fight. Ezio soon caught up with the man before he could escape out of the Abby, grabbing him by the front of his robes and pulling him close to his face. With quick and quietly spoken words, Ezio prodded the man to tell him the information he needed to know before stabbing his blade through the mans throat.

I didn't need any more of a signal. I twisted the ball around in my hands, trying to calculate where the button would hit if I threw it at this angle—also, if the snow would effect it any. Taking my chances, I hurled the ball down into the Abby's courtyard. Relief flashed through me when a cloud of smoke erupted, blocking my view of the yard below me. I wasn't sure where Ezio wanted to meet up with me, so I stayed upon the rooftop, hearing the screams below. Suddenly, Ezio popped over the edge, grunting as he tried to pull himself up, having difficulty when the snow kept falling away under his grasp. Gripping onto his sleeve, I helped pull him up, sending a bunch of snow to the courtyard below

"So?" I asked once he was sitting on the roof next to me.

He took a deep breath, a small smile peering out at me from under the shadow of his hood. " He said that they meet in the Shadow of the Roman Gods." As if that was enough of an explanation, Ezio stood and brushed away the snow that had accumulated upon his robes. He reached down, offering me his hand.

"Where is that, exactly?" I asked, wanting to reject his hand since I was scared of the shocks his touch coursed through me, but I gripped onto anyways.

"Haven't you heard?" He pulled me up onto my feet, making sure that I wasn't about to slide on the slick roof before letting me go. "The Roman Gods stand in the Antico Teatro Romano near San Gimignano. Everyone knows that."

"Yeah, but...," I pointed at my head, narrowing my eyes at Ezio. "I don't really have my memory, Ezio." He only smiled and winked at me, apparently too exhilarated about getting the information we needed to kill Jacopo.

Putting our information together, we decided that Jacopo would be leaving the church at night, walking to attend the Templar meeting at the Antico Teatro Romano. We would trail him there and see what we would find, hopefully the other Templar's. We spent the day waiting, finding a good vantage point upon the roofs around the chapel so that we could follow Jacopo at a distance.

Before the sun could disappear behind the mountains (well, I _assumed _that it was nightfall—the sun couldn't be seen through the thick, gray clouds) I slept what little I could in the cold, winter air before we would start following our target. Curled up in a ball on my side, laying upon Ezio's cape since he was so kind to let me use it, I closed my eyes and slept all that I was able.

* * *

I didn't ask how long it had been when Ezio shook me awake. The thick clouds had thinned out a bit, and the moon was able to be seen through a murky haze. There were no words between us, just a small flick of Ezio's head, telling me silently that it was time to go. We shuffled around quickly, placing Ezio's cape back upon his spaulder, and then we started to creep along the roofs, Ezio's eyes locked on a figure walking in the street below us. Trying to push aside my weariness, I followed Ezio quickly and quietly, the only thing betraying our hiding spots was our crunching footsteps upon the thinning snow.

I don't remember how long we followed Jacopo specifically. All I remember was following him out of the city, Ezio and I balancing upon the city outer walls to watch him make his way towards the large outcrop that was the Antico Teatro Romano, I figured. The place was heavily guarded, I noticed as Jacopo walked down the stairs to the lower level of ground in the circular structure.

Ezio turned towards me. "Narina," he whispered, "I need you to do something important for me." I felt my brow furrow as I nodded. "I need you to gather some mercenaries for me—there is no way that I'll make it through without trouble if I don't have back up."

Ever so suddenly, a knot twisted into my stomach, my throat drying immediately. I recalled a similar feeling to the time when I anticipated Federico's death. I shot my hand out, gripping onto Ezio's arm, the fear exploding inside my stomach. When he looked at me in wonder, I shook my head slowly. "No," I whispered, staring up into his dark eyes, trying to show him my fear that way. "Please don't."

"Narina, this is the safest way."

"Then why am I scared?" I asked in a low, rough tone, feeling the fear push itself up so that it was lodged into my throat. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this? Ezio, you _know_ what my bad feelings usually mean..."

There was a flicker of melancholy in his dark eyes and I saw the way his body tensed ever so slightly. "I'll be fine," he promised in a whisper. With a quick touch to my face with his fingers, he jumped down off of the town wall, landing outside of the city near the road. I watched him for only a moment before turning and jumping off the wall _into_ the city.

I ran as fast as I could, frantically looking around the city for any of Mario's men. After only a few minutes, I was panic and frustrated enough to feel the annoying pressure of tears in my eyes. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if Ezio were to...Desperately, I pushed the thought aside, finally catching sight of some mercenaries, walking around the Santa Maria Assunta. In rushed words, I frantically told them that Ezio was in need of their assistance—immediately. Seeing how distressed I was about the whole situation, they all let me lead them to the nearest exit out of the city without a moment of hesitation.

We rounded the city walls, sending a flurry of snow into the air with our pounding footsteps. As we were approaching the circular structure, I saw a few men exit out the area and I recognized the dark-hooded man to be Rodrigo Borgia. Of course he was in this part as well, but I wonder what he was leaving for? Fleeing? Did that mean Ezio was winning? My concern shifted over to Ezio's safety, and I lead the mercenaries over to the edge of the terrace-like structure, gazing down into the lower area.

At first glance, my heart pounded with delight, seeing that Ezio was clearly fine and that he was keeping up his own by himself fighting off all the guards that were facing him. However, only a split moment later, one of the guards to the back of Ezio swung his sword at the unexpected assassin.

Even though I was so far away, I heard the tip of the sword rip through fabric and then Ezio's skin, followed his his scream of pain that echoed loudly.

Then there was blood, dripping onto the snow, splattering among the darker, earlier split blood, soaking deeper and deeper into the pure white. It all seemed to move in slow motion, the way Ezio faltered, crumpling down to the ground, his own blood staining his robes. His own blood...

I took a deep breath, and then time seemed to move normally again. "EZIO!" I screamed loudly, throwing myself over the edge, rushing towards the lowest level. All of the guards attention shot up towards the area the mercenaries were standing, and they realized that there was more to deal with. When I finally was on the bottom level, the guards were already there to face me, and for some reason, they took one look at me and froze, letting me run past them towards Ezio in the field. Paying it no heed, I started to tread in the blood-splattered snow, my breaths fogging up as I gasped for air frantically. I collapsed next to Ezio, vaguely hearing the starting battle between the mercenaries and the guards.

"Ezio!" I sobbed, my fear once again catching in my throat. "Ezio, please don't die!" When I went to roll him over so that I could look into his face, my fingers touched the warm ooze that was soaking into his robes, body shook uncontrollably when I stared at my red stained fingers. At the sight of his blood, something was violently tore from within my chest and my heart's thuds where heavy and frantic. My stomach flipped and dropped, my limbs trembling from something other than the biting winter cold. I suddenly found myself too weak to pull him over, my eye sight blurred with the tears that now streamed down my cheeks. With shaking fingers, I reached up to his hood, pulling it back over his shoulders, exposing the half of his face that wasn't pressed into the red snow, and then rubbed my finger tips along his brow, smearing the red blood over his temple, brushing his hair from out of his face. His eyes were lightly closed, his dark eyelashes tangled together, his lips parted ever so slightly.

When I breathed in, it was unsteady, waving with the threatening sobs pounding against my chest. "Ezio," I whispered, caressing his exposed cheek softly. "Please look at me...please smile for me..." I bent over him, pressing my lips against his rough cheek near his ear. "Please don't leave me all alone," I murmured softly, my voice breaking. Trying to get the tears to stop, trying to get a hold of myself, I squeezed my eyes shut, dripping what tears I had in my eyes onto Ezio's cheek and jaw.

In hope that my whispers would somehow reach him, I still had my doubts. So I was really surprised when I felt his jaw move under my lips.

"Narina." I gasped, sitting up and staring down at Ezio, who was looking up at me with one weary eye. "Help me up," he whispered.

I shook my head, knocking myself out of my daze. "No, you're hurt—you can't strain yourself!"

Ezio wasn't phased by my rejection, and his sucked in a deep breath as he pushed himself up, clumps of snow falling from his clothes. "I have to end Jacopo," Ezio muttered, wincing. I decided that it was probably best to help him out if he was just going to try and do it for himself. I put my arm around him, helping him get to his feet. Whether he thought we was okay or not, he put a lot of his weight on me as he tried to find his footing.

"Ezio," I whispered, adjusting myself so that it was more comfortable to take on his weight. "Don't push yourself too hard. You need to heal before you go after Jacopo again." Ezio said nothing, but looked down at me for a moment, searching my eyes for something before looking up and pointing his chin in the direction. I looked to where he was gesturing to and I was surprised to see a man lying in a circle of blood-stained snow, gasping and clutching at the open wounds that were clearly seen in his chest. On a closer analysis, I saw that it was Jacopo. I looked back up to Ezio, trying to ask him what had happened with my eyes. Instead of answering, Ezio let go of me, taking on all of his own weight, and started to walk towards Jacopo. When I tried to help him, he brushed me aside, telling me in silence that he didn't want my help.

As he walked away from me in his determination to end Jacopo's suffering, I shuddered at the sight of his retreating back. The sword had gone clean through Ezio's hard material armor, and you could see the bleeding wound through the ripped robes. When he finally reached Jacopo, he fell to his knees, glad to relieve some of the pressure. Extracting his assassin blade, Ezio stooped over Jacopo's heaving form. "_Vai, amico, libero da fardelli e paure_. (Go forward friend, unburdened and unafraid.) _Requiescat in Pace_."

Before Ezio could give the final blow, Jacopo reached up and grabbed onto Ezio's robes. "You hold so much power in your hands, boy," Jacopo spat in between wheezes, gasping for breath once again. "Make sure you hide it well." Ezio then pushed the blade into Jacopo's throat, ending the heavy and struggled breaths, Jacopo's hand falling away from Ezio's clothes, leaving a bloody hand mark. With a loud grunt, Ezio pushed himself to stand back up on his feet.

Then he inclined his head proudly, brushing his gaze all around the Teatro Romano. It was then that I realized that, no matter the circumstances, Ezio was going to push through it. When I saw how proudly he held himself despite how much he was in pain and how much blood he was losing, an overwhelming feeling washed through me, warming me to the core. The warming feeling brought a new wave of tears to my eyes, and I was suddenly so grateful that Ezio was alive. When his eyes landed on me, searching into my eyes once again, I couldn't help but run up to him and throw my arms around his torso, burying my face into his chest to hide my tears from him, ignoring the stench of blood in the fabric.

"Ezio," I sobbed loudly, shaking my head into his chest. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, holding me close. I couldn't find anymore words, but I didn't have to. I think he understood just what I was trying to say.

_Let's never paint our pictures with blood again._

* * *

**So, here's chapter 13 for you. Unlucky 13...**

**Fun fact: The day that Chapter 13 was corrupted was in fact Friday the 13th. **

**Question of the Day: If you actually did listen to a song while reading this chapter, what song was it? **

**If you didn't listen to a song while reading this chapter, what _is_ your favorite song?**

**:3 Thanks, and please review and tell me what you think!**


	15. The Trusting Game

**-I has the case of pouting right now. :I Damn Francisco Randez commercial...  
****-This story is getting more and more difficult for me to write. :I School is going to mess up my flow, and things are going to get a lot more suggestive from this point on. (Like...sex and stuff.) I'm really worried that I'm going to lose half of my readers once the sexual tension relief chapters come along. :I  
****-SporkedGamer and ZetaAdele say Hi.  
****-I'm a little bit too excited for this Romance thing to take off. *blushes * Thanks Dragon's-Maidens for helping me calm my...lusts? Assassin Ass is just so...intriguing. XD  
****-School has started. That means even longer between updates. :I I'm sorry.  
**-If you even want a **chance** of figuring out what my plot is, you have to pay attention to very, very small details (according to SporkedGamer and ZetaAdele).

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* * *

**Chapter 14: The Trusting Game**

There was only one choice that came to my mind: wrap up Ezio's wound and get him back to Monteriggioni as soon as possible. One moment he was standing on his own, hugging me, and then the next thing I knew, he crumpled down once again, leaning all of his weight on me. I took a moment to undress him, pulling off his robes and shirt so that I could put some of our medicine supplies on it before wrapping it with linen.

At this time, Mario's mercenaries were finished dealing with Borgia's men, and they immediately rushed to my aid, helping me lift Ezio off of the snowy ground, and up from the terrace area. One of them ran to go grab a horse from the stables, and while he went to go get the horse, I searched over Jacopo's body under the instruction of Ezio, looking for a Codex Page if any. When I found one hidden in Jacopo's robes, I returned up to the top of the terrace. I sat upon the saddle first, and then they lifted the limp Ezio up behind me. Ezio was still conscious at the moment, but he had kept his eyes and mouth shut the entire time, only letting a few gasps and groans through his lips every so often. The only thing that made me realize that he was even aware of what was going on was once he was settled in the back of the saddle, he wrapped his arms around my waist, leaning his head against my shoulder.

"I've always wanted to ride a horse with you like this," he murmured. I found that I couldn't even be upset with him. I was just glad that he had enough sense to be his perverted self.

The first night was the worst. Ezio's temperature rose dramatically, and he became delirious. Due to his condition and the difficulties, Ezio slept in my room on the bottom floor with me. Not only was Ezio's fever getting worse, his wound was becoming infected. When we had the town doctor come to look it over and also to stitch it up, he instructed that Ezio should stay off of his feet and back for a long while, giving me some witch hazel leaves for me to crush into a cream to smear onto the wound to help the healing process. Since the doctor was much too busy with other things, I had to be the one to watch over Ezio carefully, staying at his bedside (well..._my_ bedside) making sure that his fever didn't spike any higher.

Restless, Ezio tossed and turned for that entire first night, and I stayed up with him, redressing his wound whenever needed, placing cold rags on the back of his bare neck and bare arms, trying to keep his fever down. I also just wanted to be there to let him know that I was there at his side, that he didn't have to go through this alone.

There was a two month period that I had to share my room with Ezio. He had been wrong about 'the first snow never staying'. Not only did it stay, but even more snow piled upon it, delving Italy into it's annual winter. Ezio had complained to me often about how he felt like he needed to do something instead of just laying under a blanket, being nursed like a babe.

"Ezio, your back is stitched together," I always responded. "You're not moving one inch just yet."

Winter did cause problems, even though we weren't traveling. Not only did it make the rooms in the villa colder, but it also made the doctor receive limited medical supplies. Even if winter brought it's problems, I had a little fun now and then.

At one point in the middle of the winter, I played a little prank.

Ezio had been able to sit up in his bed now and stand up and walk around a little by this point, his wound finally healing into a big scar across his back. This gave me some extra time on my hands, and since Ezio wasn't up to playing around the Villa with me, I decided to bother Claudia one early morning.

I walked through the back door of the villa, grinning smugly. Mario, who was walking down the stairs, heading for his office, gave me and odd look, eying my filled arms.

"What are you planning on doing with all that...snow?" He asked warily.

I felt my face twist up into an innocent pose. "Oh, nothing."

Mario sighed. "I will have no responsibility from whatever it is you're doing, right?"

"Of course not," I replied, laughing. Mario nodded to me, eying the bundle of snow in my arms yet again before walking through the architectural room to go to his office. I then climbed up the stairs slowly, trying not to drop the cold, wet, heavy snow that was in my arms, my fingers going numb. I turned to the left, heading over towards the door that led to Claudia's room. With a bit of difficulty, I managed to open the door quietly, slipping in through a crack just big enough for me to glide through.

Claudia was laying in the middle of her bed, her white nightgown falling around her shoulders while her dark, wavy hair spread out around her, the blanket tucked up under her arm. I slowly walked into the room, tip-toeing as if that made me invisible. When I approached the edge of the bed, I held out my arms over Claudia's head, making sure my aim was right on.

There was a moment of hesitation where I asked myself if this was really a good idea. Then I shrugged it off, convincing myself that I needed to have a little spice up from my 'nurse' duties. I dropped the snow smack right on Claudia's face. I was out of the room before she started screaming out curse words, my name among the string of swears. Then of course, I heard her right behind me, chasing after me. I continued across the walkway, avoiding the stairs at all cost, small giggles bursting through my lips.

"_Porca Puttana!_ (Dirty Whore!)" She was screaming at me. "_L'ucciderò!_(I'm going to kill you!)"

As I ran across the walkway above Mario's office, without even thinking, I took a hold of the railing and flung myself over the edge, laughing the entire time. I landed with a thud, giving Mario a quick wink before running out into the courtyard. In bare feet, I managed to run around the Villa, trying to throw off Claudia in my position.

After my legs were numb from leaping through the snow as fast as I could go, I busted into the Villa's front door, shivering and wiggling my feet around as if to throw off the cold. From there, I ran to my room, slamming the door behind me then flinging myself across the room, hiding behind a small table that was in the corner of my room.

"What are you doing?"

I looked up to the bed, standing up from behind the table, deciding that it was much too small. Ezio was propped up on his elbows, looking up at me, his hair a mess and his eyes dazed with weariness. I walked over beside the bed, kneeling to look underneath the mattress to see if there was any room down there.

"Do you have to ask?" I told him. "I'm trying to find a hiding spot."

Ezio only sighed. "What did you do to Claudia and why is she screaming this early in the morning?"

I sneered at the boxes that were under the bed, then stood back up and looked at Ezio. "I dumped snow on her face."

Hiding his smile, he pushed himself into a sitting position. "Do you always laugh in the face of stupidity?" He asked, lifting his arms above his head to stretch, flexing the muscles that were still pretty hard and defined even though he hadn't done much for over two months.

With a snort, I sat on the side of the bed, giving up on finding a hiding spot. "What's stupid is that I haven't had any fun since I've had to take care of you," I complained, raising my eyebrow at him.

"I didn't ask for you to take care of me, Narina," Ezio said in defense, smirking at me. Rolling my eyes, I turned away from him, ignoring him. He chuckled at my actions, then I felt the blankets under me shift. When I turned to look back at him again, Ezio was sitting at the edge of the bed, pushing himself up onto his feet. Once standing, he stretched once again, taking a deep breath as he flexed his back. He had only been able to stand about two week before and it was only recently that he was even able to walk. Even though the wound was healing quite nicely, he told me that it still hurt him whenever he over used his back by standing and even more when he walked.

I regarded his back silently, looking at the pink welt that stretched across the plains of his back. Even months after the incident, just looking at the scar caused my body to shake, reminding me of the heart ripping feeling that I had gotten when I saw Ezio's blood splatter.

"That's one nasty scar, Ezio," I commented. "It's kind of gross."

"Really?" He looked at me over his shoulder, poising himself as if he was trying to show off his back. "I thought that the ladies would like it."

"I'm sure they will." I slowly shook my head. "I just don't."

Ezio turned to me fully, taking a deep breath before making his way slowly around the bed. "Why not? Isn't it a mark that's full of stories?"

I adverted my gaze away from his approaching figure. "_Non amo quelle storie (_I don't like those stories), Ezio."

He stood in front of me, his bare chest only a few inches away from my face, the proximity of his presence well noticed by my body, which seemed to lean towards his warmth. We didn't say anything for a moment, and in the silence, one of the small sparks that seemed to be flickering between us for a while now lit up into a small flame. What made the flames rage more was when his hand was suddenly reaching up, cupping around my face, pulling my gaze up into his. His warm touch sent a bolt through my body, striking at an odd place at my core, making my heart stutter then speed up.

The sleep could still be seen in his eyes, glazing over the deep brown, almost golden color of Ezio's eyes. Even through the weariness, I could still see that strange emotion smothering deep within his eyes, the sight of it making my legs shake underneath me.

"You know," he whispered quietly at me, never once looking away from my eyes. "When I saw you crying over me like that, it reminded me of that one night when _I_ thought _you_ died." His thumb brushed under my eye as if he were wiping away tears. "I don't like the story your tears tell."

Within a moment, there was a realization between both of us that there was a mutual feeling. We both knew the pain and the absolute terror of losing the other. They were both stories that we didn't want to tell, didn't want to hear, and certainly never to relive again.

Ezio's fingers curved along my cheek, his thumb suddenly brushing against my lower lip, causing my lips to part without a second thought. Something flickered in Ezio's eyes as he watched my lips carefully, which started to lightly quiver in result from the raw feeling that was pulsing so oddly through my body. In an instant, Ezio leaned down towards me, taking a hold of my face with both of his hands. I closed my eyes in anticipation, waiting for the moment his lips would mold to mine. But I only lightly felt them brushing slightly against mine, as if he were hesitating. He wasn't going to force me into it, giving me time to either respond or to reject him. Why was it such a hard decision?

As it turned out, I didn't have to make the decision. Claudia did.

"Ezio!" She screamed through the door, pounding her fist on the wood. I immediately flinched away from Ezio, breaking from his grasp and ending up halfway across the room, my back to him, my face red, my heart thudding, and my mind screaming 'what the hell was that!'

Claudia busted into the room, her arms flinging, her mouth running. If it wasn't for Ezio who held Claudia gently back, I think she would have beat the living shit out of me.

With my mind still boggled, most of her words went out one ear and out the other, but even then, I made an honest effort to try and calm her down. "Claudia, I'm sorry, I was just playing around since I was bored, okay?" I explained, raising my hands up as if to defend myself.

She puffed out her chest in anger, her hair a tangled mess all about her. "Well, how about the next time you get _bored_, why don't you play around with Ezio!" With that, she turned and stomped out of my room, slamming the door behind her.

The term 'play around with Ezio' struck me in such an odd way that my cheeks lit up at the thought.

"Look," I said, breaking the silence, turning to face Ezio, but I found my eyes locked down on his bare feet. "I'm going to go see if there isn't anything I can do to cheer her up. I almost feel bad."

Ezio chuckled as he walked over to me, reaching out and lightly patting my shoulder. "That's probably a good idea. Claudia can hold grudges for a long time."

I looked up at him slowly, trying to hide the oddness in my eyes. His warm eyes were carefully placid, not even his usual slyness fluttering within them. We were both trying to play it off cool, trying to act like what just happened wasn't a big deal. I drew in a deep breath before lightly smiling at him. "Just keep working on walking. You're getting better everyday!" With that, I turned and walked out of the room, ignoring the feel of Ezio's eyes on my back.

Claudia made me be her 'slave' for the rest of that week in order for her to forgive me. While she took my place in helping Ezio build up all of the muscle that he had lost during his months of healing, I had to do all of the record keeping and the shopping. Shopping was the easy part, even though I didn't like to very much. After that week was done, I definitely respected Claudia that much more. It was a hard thing to actually keep track on every little thing that happened in Monteriggioni—a lot harder than it sounded. It was after that week that Claudia and I understood each other a little bit more, spending some time in the others shoes.

It took all winter to get Ezio up to tip-top shape again. By the time he was once again able to win in our races across Monteriggioni, winter was melting away, taking away the bitter cold while our memories of the white days were pasted in our minds. Spring had rolled around, bringing warm breezes and birds, flowers and blue skies. Also, a newly re-energized Ezio. Having being fully recovered from his almost crippling wound, Ezio wanted to get out again, to spread his wings that had been constricted by the cage that was my room. He forced me to go running around with him in the mornings, waking me up at the crack of dawn, pulling me out into the crisp and sharp air, making me participate in some old races that we had always done for training years before. And although it was nice to live in the old days, it was seriously cutting into my beloved sleeping time. Since it was getting warmer, I was prone to sleep longer nights After weeks of waking up early to make sure Ezio had someone to goof around with, he finally let me sleep in a little bit later than usual, maybe about two hours after sunrise.

Of course, I got a rude awakening that day, to Ezio and Claudia running into my room, yelling at the top of their lungs, telling me to get up and to get ready. Claudia was still in her nightgown, her hair pulled lightly away from her face, suggesting that Ezio just got her up for this particular event. Ezio also looked like he had just barely woken up, half naked with only his breeches on, but, judging from the excitement and awareness in his eyes, he had been up all morning. Was it strange that, due to taking care of his naked torso for months, that I wasn't really effected by it anymore? After giving them my upset-half-asleep look for a few minutes, ignoring what they were really saying while I tried to wake my self up, I finally realized that they were saying something about '_Firenze'._

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I mumbled, sitting up from the blankets and pillows, which _still _smelt like Ezio from his months of sleeping in my bed. Not that it was technically a bad thing, but on mornings like this, it sort of peeved me. "What about _Firenze_?"

Claudia laughed at me, telling us that she was going back to work, leaving the room. Ezio then took the time to sit at my bedside, smiling at me as I rubbed at my eyes wearily. Once I was focused on him again, he took a hold of my knee through the blanket, shaking it excitedly. "The weather is finally okay enough for us to travel back to Firenze and visit Leonardo so he can take a look at those Codes Pages for us."

I sleepily blinked at him. "You woke me up just for that? Couldn't you have waited a few hours, or something?" I couldn't help but be upset with him, wondering why he always had to find new ways to torture me to his consent.

"Well, the thing is, Narina," Ezio started to explain, "the list that my Father had has a mans name upon it and I know he resides in Venice. I was hoping to get the Codex decoded today so that we could head out for Venice today as well."

"What!" I stared at Ezio in shock. "Going to Venice? Why the hell didn't you tell me before hand?" Ezio gave me a long look, pleading me with his warm, beautiful eyes. I sighed, finally giving in. " Your stupid, beautiful eyes have the magical ability to take my anger away from me. I hate you."

Ezio smirked, seeing that I had given in. He knew that I had a soft spot with his eyes. "It's part of my charm, Narina."

"Indeed." I pushed at him. "But you should give me some time to at least get ready."

"Why do you think I woke you up so early?" Ezio stood from the bed, chuckling as he stretched.

"So, how far away is Venice, exactly?"

"We actually won't be heading for Venice just yet. We have to get to Forli first."

I climbed out of my bed, flinging my legs over the edge. "Alright. Well, how long is that going to take? When will we arrive?"

Ezio leaned against the door frame, giving me a quiet, sly look. "Tomorrow afternoon."

"Tomorrow!" How many times was Ezio going to surprise me this morning? "It..it'll take that long?"

"The boat ride from Forli to Venice takes a bit more than half a day. And besides that fact, we aren't going to be returning to Monteriggioni any time soon." Ezio opened the door. "It's probably best to say your goodbyes today as well."

A stab of pain bolted through me before I once again felt a little angered at Ezio. He should know by now that I wasn't very good with goodbyes. Why wasn't he holding the situation delicately? Did he just not care anymore?

Before I went and ate breakfast, I packed a few things in a bag of mine, wondering idly if Ezio and I were to be gone for years this time. I met up with Mario after I was done eating breakfast, telling him thanks for everything and that we were leaving soon. He threw a hug upon me, telling me to be careful and that he would send some of the town's profits to us in Venice by mail. After I was done visiting Mario, I went into the office area,meeting up with Ezio who was telling Claudia goodbye as well. With teary eyes, she hugged both of us, telling us to keep in touch at least. I think we all knew that it was going to be a long time before Ezio and I returned home. Since we knew this, Ezio and I decided to go up into Maria's room to say our quiet goodbyes as well. Shockingly, she stood from her bed, placing the box of Pettrucio's feathers aside, and wrapped her delicate arms around Ezio, leaning her head against her sons chest. Right when I was considering giving them some alone time, Maria backed away from Ezio and gazed at me with her distant eyes, pulling me into her arms, while stroking my wavy hair, telling me to be careful in her silent way. The Mother and son exchanged formal kisses before we nodded to her again, walking out of the room without a backward glance.

I held back the tears that stung at my eyes as we walked away from the Villa, Mario and Claudia standing upon the top of the stairs, waving to us. Sure, I had left home before, for six months. But there was something in the knowledge that I wouldn't be back for a long time that really scared me, like I was afraid I was going to lose it all if I turned away from it. Keeping my emotions buried deep, Ezio and I prepared some horses, patting them and brushing them down before strapping some saddles onto them. In a cloud of dust, Ezio and I galloped down the road, heading towards Florence to pay Leonardo a little visit.

A little bit after noon, Ezio and I arrived at Florence. We tied our horses to the stables, leaving our packs and supplies upon the horses backs. We kept our heads down as we walked into the city, deciding that it was best to keep a low profile while we were here. Weaving through the crowds, Ezio and I made our way into Florence, taking the shortest route to Leonardo's workshop. We ducked into the entryway, Ezio knocking twice before putting his hand upon the handle. I was confused for a moment as to why we weren't already entering the building, but then I realized that the door handle wasn't turning under Ezio's twist.

Ezio knocked on the door again. "Leonardo?" He called out, apparently just as confused as I was.

"Ah, _Signore._" We both turned towards the voice, facing Leonardo's assistant, who was wringing his hands together. "Master Leonardo is no longer in _Firenze_, my friends," he told, walking up to us under the entrance way.

"Where did he go?" I asked in shock.

"He left for Venice yesterday evening. He has some commission work with a patron there, I believe. It was a good job, and he couldn't refuse it."

I vaguely remembered that this assistant had graduated out of the care of Leonardo, learned all that he could, from back when we were still in Florence the year before. It was a nice pointer for him to be so informed of Leo's situation.

"_Grazie_, my friend." Ezio nodded towards the young man again before taking a hold of my elbow and dragging me back onto the streets.

"Well, this is sort of a let down," I admitted since I was sort of excited to see Leonardo again.

Ezio let go of my arm, now leading me back out of Florence. "In a way, yes it is, but now we can kill two birds with one stone by going to _Venezia_."

I was still a little bummed out by it. "But hypothetically, we just _wasted_ one stone by stopping here."

Ezio laughed then shrugged. "Look on the bright side. Florence is in the direction we were heading anyways, so we didn't lose that much time."I sighed, suddenly wondering exactly how much time this whole thing would _seem_ let alone actually be.

The rest of the day went by slowly, the road ahead never seeming to end. We stopped once to eat food and let the horses rest before starting out again. Clouds had gathered in the sky and the spring weather decided to wring itself out on us for a small moment, only lasting long enough to be able to soak through our clothes and packs. It was hard to keep a good attitude about everything when you were drenched and cold. Ezio prodded forward though, leading us across the Italy plains, our horses hoofs delving into the muddy pathway. We had been traveling in the mountains for hours until Ezio announced we would be stopping for the night. The sun had already dipped low behind the mountains, only a few stars peeping through the thin spring clouds.

We tied the horses to a nearby tree, giving them enough slack on the rope so that they could graze a bit. While Ezio started a fire so that we could dry ourselves, I walked aimlessly around, picking up any stray twigs for the fire. There wasn't much firewood to be found, for there weren't many trees in the mountains in Italy. They were scattered apart with great distances between them, the barren mountains reaching up into the sky, the tips of them still capped with snow. I felt so distant from civilization, shuddering at the thought of far away the nearest town was. I added what I had gathered to the fire when I returned, then sat next to Ezio on the ground, staring into the fire. Ezio had already lowered his hood and taken off his boots, putting them to the side of the fire to let them dry.

"Well, this is nice," I mumbled, watching as the flickering fire sent small, lit circles upward. I pulled off my own boots, placing them beside his around the fire. I turned my head towards the fire to let the flames dry my damp hair. "It's always so fun to sleep on the edge of the road."

Ezio laughed. "You're sarcasm is depressing, Narina. Can you at least pretend to be excited?"

"Excited about what?" I replied back, looking at him through the corner of my eye. "There's nothing out here but things that want to eat us, not to mention thieves and bandits." Ezio shook his head and rolled his eyes, a small smile on his lips.

"Look at it like this—we're under an open, beautiful sky, surrounded by tall mountains that are shielding us from the world, and we have a warm fire to ward of the cold. That's a lot more than what some people get."

A small pause brushed between us as we took notice and actually acknowledged the things that Ezio just pointed out. From the peeping stars high in the sky to the reaching mountains that surrounded us cozily to the bright fire that was crackling quietly. Then finally to each other, a strange kind of wonderment suddenly lingering in the air, like we just barely realized that there was so much more than we had first saw with a glance. What else had we looked over?

Ezio's eyes were flickering in the light from the fire, smoldering in the honey color, casting dark shadows across his face, showing how strong his face was built. I could tell that some emotion was tightly reigned beneath his expression, his structures too placid for my liking. And it was then that I realized that we were utterly alone. No one around. Just him and I.

"And," I whispered quietly and slowly, "well, we have each other, too." At my voice, something lit up in Ezio's eyes, and at the sight of it, my stomach tightened and a sudden shyness blanched out from within me. I felt the need to turn my gaze away from him, confused by the overwhelming feeling spreading throughout my body, but I couldn't look away from his captivating eyes. Before I could even think twice about looking away, Ezio leaned over me, one of his hands spreading out on the ground behind me while the other reached up and lightly touched the nape of my neck, his leather gloves gliding along my skin. I felt so weak suddenly, like I was his prey and he was trapping me within his hold. My shoulders hunched up slightly in anticipation, and I bowed my head a bit, having to look up through my eye lashes at Ezio. There was a predatory gleam in his eyes, a odd sense within that they were being tightly controlled. There was fear among all the feelings that tumbled within me, standing out among the unfamiliar sensations. I bit at my lip lightly.

The gloved hand at my collar bone suddenly curved around my neck, pulling me forward, even closer to Ezio. Unlike he had done before, he didn't hesitate in pushing his lips against mine, making my heart beat faster within my chest. The kiss was measured and controlled, but even then I felt myself responding against it, my lips not only quivering in angst, but also moving against his subtly. It was when I felt his warm tongue pressing along the crease of my lips that I let out a surprised noise and my cheeks started to pulse with heat. I was forced with the decision to choose whether or not to let him in, to consume me like the sea lapping over the shores that taunted the waves.

How long had I waited to kiss Ezio like this? I found myself bewildered at the fact that I had been for a long time, despite me never really ever thinking about it. I felt like I had spent a lifetime just waiting to feel his lips against mine, to taste him upon my lips.

Or was it more like...seven lifetimes?

In an instant, I jerked away from the kiss, feeling an odd overwhelming wave of nostalgia wash over my body. As soon as I pulled away, there was a distant howl from the mountains, a wolf crying out. By the time I had registered the howl, the bewildering feelings had disappeared. The horses started to whinny over at their tree, and I suddenly realized that it was too hot near the open flame. I also realized just what I was doing. I adjusted my gaze away from Ezio, squirming my way away from him. I clawed through my mind to find something to say to break the odd silence."You don't think we'll be attacked, do you?"

I felt his gaze on me for a long, quiet moment before he answered. "No. We'll be fine." I looked up at him quietly, pressing my lips together as if I were trying to come up with something—anything—to say. He broke the silence first. "You tired?"

I smiled lightly and nodded. "_Si_." I stood up from the ground, patting off the dust on my pants. "You did bring the blankets, right?"

"Of course I did." Ezio stood too, sighing before gesturing to the forest. "I'm going to go get some more firewood."

"Oh, being responsible for once?" Ezio gave me an odd look, an eerie grin appearing on his lips. I shook my head before he could say anything. " I was kidding. Where's the blankets?"

"In my saddle-bags."

While Ezio disappeared into the surrounding darkness, I laid out a cloth near the fire, making sure I was far away enough so if that a spark flew out, it wouldn't hit me. By the time Ezio had came back, I was snuggled into my blanket, curled up like a ball. I looked up at him as he put a little more wood onto the flames, sending a shower of embers into the air.

He looked down at me, smiling smugly. "You look comfortable."

I couldn't help it. I smiled back. "I am. Thanks for noticing."

"We didn't eat anything tonight. Are you hungry?"

I snuggled down deeper into my blanket, which smelt of the wet leather of the saddle bag. "No, I think I'll be fine. I've gone longer without food."

Ezio shrugged. "Suite yourself." He reached into one of our packs pulling out a loaf of bread wrapped in a small cloth, breaking a piece off and putting it in his mouth. Although it looked appetizing, I really just wanted to go to sleep and make this night go away. I rolled over, facing away from the fire, holding my hands to my chest. As we both fell silent, I began to wonder just how far I would have let Ezio go just then. Would I have drawn the line at some point, or would I have just...let it go? And was it okay for me to feel a little disappointed?

There was one thing that I had to know before I let the night go. I took a deep breath. "Ezio?" I whispered, keeping my back turned away from the fire and him.

"Hm?"

I took another deep breath, letting my eyes fall close, hoping that I wouldn't regret what I was about to ask. "You...you wouldn't ever use me, right?"

There was a small pause. "_Certo non_ (of course not)," he whispered softly.

My lips pressed together for a small moment, then I turned my head to look over my shoulder so that I could look at him. He was standing on the other side of the fire, the flames seeming to reach up and burn him from my point of view. His eyes were locked down on me, a faint smile on his lips. "Can I trust you?" I whispered.

He nodded immediately. "Yes. I promise." I let my gaze wander to the fingers of the flames, dancing so wildly in the air. Then I rolled back over quietly, tucking my chin under the blanket to ward of the cold trying to reach under the covers to embrace me.

"_Buonanotte_, (goodnight)," I whispered quietly. "And thanks," I added on. There were no more words, the only sound was the crackling flame, the bubbling water from a small stream that ran along side the road. I closed my eyes against the cool, spring air, a small wonder in my head, asking if there was a chance that there was anything between Ezio and I. And if so, did I want it as well? If Ezio was true to his word, then it was spoken that I was clearly different from the other women he saw. _I can allow myself that much_, I thought with a small smile. Being different wasn't such a bad thing.

* * *

**This chapter had to be cut in half.  
****Like, seriously. So, I feel that there is something missing in this chapter.  
****Did any of you feel like there was something missing?  
****Forli is in the next chapter. :3**

**Request of the day: Tell me some ways you want Narina to react when she finds Ezio totally banging Amelia in the road.**

**Thanks for reading and please review! :3**


	16. Deciever of Fools

**-I've got more drama on my plate than I care for. :I I hate it when my friends just suddenly realize that the love of their lives are players. Le sigh...I thought everyone knew they are players. :I  
****-Chemistry sucks. Never take it.  
****-I guess this is the second half of the last chapter. This is where the intense stuff happens (so I'm sorry the last chapter lacked in epicness.)  
****-If none of you have watched Tobuscus' LITERAL Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood video on Youtube, GO WATCH IT NOW! It's now my favorite song ever.  
****-I need to learn how to calm my swearing. :I I accidentally swore in front of a small, innocent church boy that was waiting at my door. *face palm * I'm so sorry, little boy!  
****-Forli is really close to the sea in the game right? Well, according to Google map, it's miles away from the shore...so I'm just going to go with the game set up rather than the real-life set up.  
****-I'm actually going to say right now...I'm really surprised that I haven't fallen out of Assassin's Creed yet. My obsessions usually only last about a year, but this one...wow, it's been like...a year and three months. :3 Congrats to UBISOFT for holding making me hold onto my obsession!**

**Thanks for the reviews!:  
SporkedGamer  
ZetaAdele  
****stifledcreativity  
****Dragon's-Maidens  
****lightan117  
****IpiRayan  
****Acro111  
****Randomstuff4all  
****assassinslover  
****AmandaMiau  
****napanapa  
****Dragon Band-Aid  
****UchihaAkia  
****Kagekitsonegal  
****DeathDragon130**

* * *

_Where has my heart gone?  
__An uneven trade for the real world  
__Oh I, I want to go back to  
__believing in everything and knowing nothing at all.  
_– "_Field of Innocence" by Evanescence_

* * *

**Chapter 15: Deceiver of Fools**

The morning was hard on me. A layer of delicate frost padded the ground. The horses were up and whinnying loudly, reacting to Ezio who was already up and dressed. My head was pounding oddly as I woke up that morning, like my memories were trying to break through. Not only was I cold, but I was also hungry and sore. It had been a while since I had to sleep on the ground. The morning was still mostly dark, the sun's rays reaching out from behind the distant mountains, creating a wonderful gradient effect in the dark blue sky to the light, baby blue that the rays lit up. I sat up slowly, rubbing at my head and yawning loudly.

Seeing that I was awake, Ezio reached into his bag and handed me the piece of bread he hadn't finished the night before, grabbing his overcast hood from around his face so that he could smile a good morning to me. Gingerly, I nibbled on the bitten off parts, feeling a light blush dust my cheeks when I thought of the fact that his lips had touched the bread too, which inevitably reminded me of the kiss as well.

While I finished the piece of bread, Ezio washed his face in the small stream, the droplets of water running down his chin and dripping onto the ground. He used his sleeve to dab his face dry before returning to the tied up horses, packing up our bags once again. I finished off the bread before I stood and made my way over to the stream, kneeling down to also cleanse my face, and also to rub the cold water on my arms to wash away all the dust that had settled on my skin from the day before.

There wasn't a word as Ezio tightened the pack straps on the horses, and after I had dried my hands and arms on my clothes, I took the moment to tend to myself behind a nearby brush. By the time I returned to the camp, Ezio had taken the horses over to the stream so that they could dip their muzzles to the cool current. The sun had finally started to peep over the surrounding mountains, casting his bright light onto our camp area.

Once I had put my now dried and warm boots back on, I stretched out my arms in front of me, gazing at the dirt that was still obviously clinging to my skin, the water that I had dripped down my arms had left clean trails of the path it had taken. Despite how my skin seemed to warmly glow in the morning light, I found it slightly disturbing how dirty I was. It had been a while since I had gotten a nice bath, and I let my fingers twist through my dark hair so that I could hold it in my view to observe the oily strands in my hold. Pouting, I quickly tucked the hair behind my ear, deciding that I couldn't do anything about my hair at the moment anyways.

In another moment, I decided that it wasn't worth it to be worrying about it. As I watched Ezio pat one of the horses strong necks, running his hand over the muscles and veins the bulged out of the horses skin, I noticed that he, too, had very greasy hair and dusty clothes. He didn't seem too concerned about it, and I had definitely seen him go longer without a good cleaning. However, he did look a little bit rougher than he was because of the dark beard that was appearing lightly on his face, making his cheeks, chin and jaw look that much dirtier.

Ezio noticed my watchful eye, turning towards me, letting the sun pour over his face. "You ready to go?" He asked softly.

I nodded. "Yes." It was weird how it only felt right to talk so quietly in the early morning, like we were afraid to wake up things that weren't even there. Ezio made a quick gaze around the small area again, making sure we weren't forgetting anything. I took a hold of my horses reigns, leading it to the edge of camp, patting it down and whispering softly to it. Before I could lift myself onto the horse on my own, one foot in the stirrup and my hands on the saddle horn, Ezio approached from behind me, placing his hands at my waist to help lift me up onto the horse.

When I was in the saddle, I stared down at him questioningly, but I didn't want to have to ask him outright. For some reason, I was embarrassed to. He took a moment, staring up into my eyes quietly, his expression placid while his eyes burned. Then he smiled lightly, reached up and pulled his hood over his face, gave my horse a quick pat, then went to hop onto his horse. I waited silently for him to take the lead, allowing my heels to lightly tap against the horses sides to follow after Ezio.

There wasn't a feeling to rush. We actually allowed a horses to walk at a comfortable pace through the mountains, basking in the sun that was slowly rising overhead up, riding our horses next to each other. Silence between Ezio and I was usually awkward and very unbearable, but I was, oddly enough, enjoying it. I'm not sure if it was the kiss or anything, but I just liked to be in his presence, to be the someone who was usually at his side. I took pride at the fact that I was known to be walking around with this Assassin figure, and that meant a lot to me, silence and everything. Besides, if we were talking, it was usually always an argument, so I was happy with what I had.

* * *

The morning passed by slowly, only a few comments made every so often. It was probably a few hours until noon when Ezio turned to look at me, twisting around in his saddle to look back since I was taking a bit slower than he was, distracted from the scenery.

"Hey, you ready to take a break?"

I immediately nodded, already feeling my thigh muscles screaming at me. The horses also needed a break too, their coats shimmering with sweat, their nostrils flaring with deep breaths. We rode until we found a large tree near the side of the rode, waiting until we could dismount in the shade. I sat at the base of the tree, sighing loudly and rubbing away the sweat that was accumulating on my face. I had pushed the sleeves up on my shirt so that my arms could catch some of the breezes. My hair was damp with sweat as well, and I wanted to be able to pull my hair back away from my face, but I didn't have a tie. Ezio lead the horses over to the shade as well, not bothering to tie them to the tree, dropping the reigns so he could sit next to me.

"For a spring day, it's pretty hot," he mumbled, reaching up and pulling off his hood. His broad and long face had sweat dripping down the sides, and he rubbed his chin warily.

"I guess that means that summer is going to be a really hot one this year." I stretched my legs out straight in front of me, considering to kick my boots off so that I could air out my sweaty and cramped toes. But my hair held my annoyance more than my feet did. With a loud huff, I once again pulled the sweaty strands away from my shoulders and neck. Ezio watched me silently, a small smile lighting up his face. I turned towards him, holding my thick hair with one of my hands while the other reached out to him. "Let me use your hair tie," I said.

His hand went to the back of his head, covering his low tied back hair. "No, I need it," he refused with a grin.

"Like hell you do!" I made a grab for his hand, but suddenly, he was gone, already on his feet a few feet away from me. Damn him and his assassin like speed! I pouted at the grin he was throwing at me, and I sat up straighter against the tree. "Come on now, Ezio," I mused. "Be a gentleman and allow a lady to use your ribbon."

Ezio snorted, taking out the hair tie and holding between his fore-thumb and finger, letting it dangle down as if to taunt me. "Give it to a lady who isn't very lady like at all? Now, that doesn't seem like a fair trade." My eyes widened for a moment, but then I smiled and pushed myself off of the ground. Ezio took a step back as I started to walk towards him slowly, a grin plastered on my face. "See? Never before have I seen a lady stalk after a guy just because he's being difficult." Ezio sidestepped to the left, starting to circle around me.

"Then the ladies that you've seen are total fuddy duddys," I pointed out, turning around on my heel to keep my eyes on him.

Ezio chuckled. "Some of them would surprise you. I tell you what, Narina, you don't know a woman 'till you lay her down in a bed under you."

I felt the disgust roll over my face. "I wouldn't know about that, p_ervertire_."

Raising a brow at me, he waved the tie in the air at me. "_Venire e prenderlo_ (come and get it)," Ezio taunted, still circling around me. I watched him carefully, waiting for the right moment for me to attack him and get that damn tie. I realized that this wasn't really necessary, that I really didn't need to be playing this childish game with him for the tie. It wasn't like my life depended on getting this stupid tie. But, for the first time in a long while, I liked playing these silly games with Ezio.

I got tired of waiting for an opening, deciding that I was just going to go for it in one move. Lunging forward, I stretched out my arm, reaching for the ribbon that was in Ezio's hands. With him being about a foot taller than I was, he simply raised his hand up above his head as I approached him, pulling my target out of reach. Without losing any momentum, I braced my hand upon his chest and used the brace to help lift my higher as I jumped up to reach for the ribbon. As I jumped up, Ezio expectantly wrapped his free arm around my waist, holding me to him. I stopped reaching for the ribbon, looking down at him. He face was on the same level as my breasts now, and even though he wasn't gazing at them, I expected that he was enjoying it thoroughly.

I came to the decision that I wanted to play hard to get. "_Lasciarmi va_ (let me go)," I spat, forgetting the tie for a moment to squirm around in Ezio's hold. Ezio complied, letting me drop down, rubbing against his body, which created an odd friction between us. To pretend like I wasn't letting it bother me, I quickly replied "_Appena darmi il nastro maledetto,(_Just give me the damn ribbon)."

Ezio laughed, letting go of me. Instead of putting the ribbon in my outstretched hand, he twisted his fingers up into my hair, pulling the damp strands away from my face. I jumped at the feeling of his fingers trailing through my hair, combing through the knots that had formed. "Here, let me put it up," he amended, pulling me closer to him so that he could tie my hair in the ponytail he pulled it into. I couldn't afford to be embarrassed about him touching my sweaty and gross hair. I was more aware of just how close we were, the warmth from his body reaching out and brush against my face. Painfully aware of his presence and his proximity, I felt my shoulders start to hunch up like they had the night before, but I forced myself to straighten them out as Ezio finished with my hair, pulling tightly on the strands to make sure it would stay in place.

"There," he said, taking a step back. "Better?"

I forced a smile on my lips, looking up at him. "Yeah. A lot better." It was indeed better. I could already feel the cool spring breeze brush against my neck, and it was really refreshing. I shrugged. "I'm still sort of hungry and thirsty, but I'm fine," I said jokingly. Ezio laughed, but didn't say anything in return. He just stared down at me quietly for a moment. I was still trying to pretend that it wasn't all so odd for me, so I casually looked around the area, to the mountains and back to our horses. Just as I was about to propose that we should get going again, I suddenly felt his hand brush against my face, his fingers caressing against my cheek gently.

In my mind, I could see this going down the same road the night before had gone, and truthfully, I was scared. I wasn't sure if I was ready to allow myself to let him to ravish upon me whenever he felt it best. Keeping my gaze away from him, I turned away from his touch unwillingly, pressing my lips together. Was it really so wrong of me to be worried to lose the thing that kept me different from the other women Ezio saw?

Although I saw confusion in his eyes when I looked back up at him, I tired to tell him subtly with my eyes that I wanted it, I really did, but I didn't want him to take the chances so casually just yet. In a way, I knew he understood by the way he inclined his head at me and also by the small smile he gave me before reaching back up and pinching at my nose. I thanked him again for the tie, this time actually grateful. We mounted our horses, and started to ride further into the mountains.

* * *

It was a few more hours, a little bit after noon, that the hot day turned into a cloudy and cool day. The mountain trail turned into a twisty and but a more flat path. And about four hours past noon, Ezio and I rode up to find our good friend on the side of the road.

"Leonardo!" I exclaimed, pulling on the reigns of the horse to make it stop before I climbed off of the puffing beast.

The artist looked up from his lopsided cart, his eyes widened with pleasant surprise. "Narina and Ezio! How wonderful to see you two!"I threw a hug on Leonardo before Ezio dismounted his horse and came up to greet Leonardo as well.

"What are you doing out here?" Ezio asked, gazing over the lopsided cart.

Leonardo sighed. "While I was riding along, I must have hit a nasty bump, for my wheel was knocked off of it's axle. The whole cart was thrown off so bad that my horses broke free and ran off." Leonardo moved to the edge of the cart, bending over to look at the underside.

"Can I help in anyway?" Ezio wondered, looking under the cart as well.

"_Si!_" Leonardo stood straight. "If you would be so kind to lift the cart up for me, I could fix the problem easily."

"_Nessun problema,_" Ezio grinned, stretching out his arms.

A moment of panic flooded me before I reached out and took a hold of Ezio's sleeve. "Oh, no you don't," I hissed, glaring up at Ezio. "I don't want you to hurt your back after you spent all winter healing," I explained before he could ask why I was so upset.

Ezio shrugged at Leonardo, who was giving Ezio a concerned look. "It's not a big deal, Narina. I'm all better now, and besides, it's only a scar now."

Giving the young assassin a pout, I sighed. "Fine. Fine! But if you hurt yourself, don't come crying to me!"

Ezio only grinned back at me, then turned back to the cart, lacing his fingers together and pushing out on them to crack them before taking a hold of the carts body. With a low grunt, he lifted the cart up off the ground, holding it up long enough so that Leonardo could slip under and fix whatever had gone wrong. After it was all done, Ezio dropped the cart back down then braced a hand against it so that he could lean upon his hand. "_Mio Dio_, Leonardo," Ezio breathed, then moved to the back of the cart so that he could look inside of it. "What the hell do you have in here?" I saw the confused look on Ezio's face, so I moved to go look inside as well. Inside of the cart was Leonardo's art supplies and many other contraptions, but there was a large mechanical object that looked folded within the middle of the cart.

"What is it?" I asked in wonderment, leaning in more to try and get a better look at it.

"Ah, well," Leonardo mumbled, clearly embarrassed. "It's just a little something that I have been working on. I couldn't bring myself to leave it behind. As for what it's for, it doesn't really matter."

Ezio and I exchanged a small look before Ezio commented, "You can tell us Leonardo."

Laughing quietly, Leonardo came to stand next to us, as if he were more embarrassed to tell us from a distance. "Well, the thing is that I think that I have found a way...to make a man fly!"

I saw a doubtful look that Ezio threw at me from the corner of my eye, but, in all truth, it didn't sound that farfetched to me. It actually seemed like a very legitimate claim. "_Interessare_, (Interesting)," I claimed truthfully, staring over the contraption. I looked up into Leonardo's light eyes. "Have you tried it out yet?"

He seemed surprised by my interest in it, but he shook his head. "I have never gotten it finished, actually. It's another one of my unfinished projects." I nodded knowingly, knowing that Leonardo was one of those people who would start something amazing, but ended up never finishing it. I had seen many unfinished paintings of his that would probably never be seen to the public's eye.

We agreed to use our horses to hook up to the cart, although neither of them were trained to pull one, but we figured that they'd learn quickly enough. As Ezio and Leonardo hooked them up to the cart, making sure that everything was connected right, I took all of the baggage that we had taken off of the horses into the cart, trying to be careful about all of the small things Leo already had within. Once the horses were hitched up, Ezio offered to drive, claiming that he could probably handle the untrained horses better than Leo or I could. The artist and I decided to pretend to take offense in that and we sat as far away from the assassin as we could, our arms folded and our faces drawn into a pout.

A few minutes into the ride, however, Leonardo and I stopped acting like brats and we all talked about the last winter, Ezio and I giving full detail about how long and miserable our winter was. Leonardo had seemed to have the same thing. Apparently, commissions had been slow for Leo that winter and he had been running low on money, which had lead to him leaving Florence in such short notice. He needed the money, and it was a good opportunity to go to Venice. When Leonardo asked about Ezio's wound and how it came to be, I found that I couldn't help but freeze at the thought of it, and also blush because of the last time Ezio and I had discussed it, we let our hormones have a say in our actions. I let Ezio tell the story, even though my input was needed since Ezio had indeed blacked out at some points. About after a good half an hour of explanation and then another good twenty minutes of bullshitting, both of the guys agreed that we would be coming to Forli any minute.

But of course, it wasn't that easy.

The horses had been doing very well, and I was secretly proud of them for adjusting so quickly. So, it was only fate that they'd have to be tested as well as the rest of us. One moment, we were riding along all peacefully, Leonardo and I chatted quietly with each other while Ezio directed the horses, and then the next an arrow suddenly whizzed past our heads, and then, with the snap of the reigns, we were bolting down the mountain path, and I almost fell off of the seat, having to reach out and hold onto Ezio's tense arm before I would topple backwards off of the seat. The horses were galloping quickly down the winding road, sending up a flurry of dust and dirt, the cart bouncing uncontrollably against the uneven road.

When I realized just what was happening, I craned my head around to look back behind the cart. There were several horsemen galloping after us, aiming flaming arrows at us.

"_Santa merda!_" I exclaimed, then turned back to look up at Ezio. "You didn't have to bring your friends along, Ezio!" I yelled over the rushing wind and stomping hoofs. Before Ezio could make a snappy remark back to me, one of the flaming arrows flew over our heads, barely missing the hood that was upon Ezio's head.

Ezio growled. "Leonardo, Narina, get into the car and hold on tight!"

I didn't need to be told twice. Although I was worried about Ezio and his well being, I knew that he knew what he was doing, and I wasn't going to try to distract him. Leonardo took a hold of my arm and we both climbed back into the cart. As soon as I thought I was settled in a good place without crushing any of Leonardo's things, the cart took a sharp right, and I was thrown across the cart, landing on top of Leonardo while simultaneously crushing one of the small models that he had brought. Before I could even sit up and apologize, I was thrown back again, hitting my head against the edge of the cart. I wasn't going to criticize Ezio and his driving skills while we were being attacked, but I wasn't really liking it that much. To make matters worse, as I was being thrown all about the cart, uncomfortably bouncing and bobbing, I smelt fabric burning only to find out that the canopy above the cart was on fire. I screamed without a thoughts, wondering suddenly if I was going to die. I heard Ezio cuss loudly, and I managed to look over at Leonardo, who was pressed against the side of the cart, his eyes wide at the sight of the burning fabric. It was only luck that allowed the rushing wind to silence the small, burning flame, but to make matters worse, there was suddenly a dark figure through the fabric, clawing up towards the front end of the cart.

I realized what was happening. "Ezio!" I screamed. "They're on the top!" Without really thinking about it, I somehow managed to stand up in the bouncy and out of control cart and jumped up to plow my fist into the dark silhouette of the man upon the wagon fabric, causing the man to groan, lose a hold of the fabric and fall off. As a result from the moving cart and me jumping, however, I was flung across the cart, crashing against the flying contraption, and I prayed that I didn't do any permanent damage to it.

When I had finally figured out which way was up, I heard Ezio yelling to Leonardo. "Get up here and take control! It think that it's me they want. Just keep going and get to safety!" I watched as Leonardo climbed back up onto the driver seat, and I scrambled up, trying to pull myself up there as well. When I popped up, Ezio was about to jump off of the cart. My hand shot out, gripping onto his boot as if that would stop him from going.

"I'm going too!" I explained when he looked down at me.

"No! You stay here with Leonardo and get someplace safe! I'll meet you guys in Forli!"

"Ezio-!" I started to object, but he knelt down suddenly, pressing his lips to my forehead.

When he looked back to me, his eyes seemed tormented, and I could feel myself stare up at him in wonderment. "Narina, I don't need you getting hurt," he explained. "I'll see you in Forli." With that he stood up straight again, and turned to jump off of the side. I was only fast enough to scramble up and see him tuck in his legs and roll to safety, standing up quickly to face the enemies that were behind us.

Something strange writhed deep inside of me, and I yelled back to him "If you get hurt, I swear to God I'll never forgive you, Ezio!" Before we turned a corner and he was gone from my sight, I saw him turn his face sideways, a smirk curving his lips upwards. How I hoped that he'd be alright, that I'd be able to see that smile once again.

* * *

Leonardo kept the horses running until Forli was in sight. When the horses hoofs were finally quieted and my heart stopped beating so fast, I bashfully turned to Leonardo. "I might have ruined your flying machine," I murmured. "So, I'm sorry."

Leonardo smiled warmly, the stress still on his face. "It's okay, Narina. The important part is that we're alright."

This caused me to turn my head around to gaze back at the trail we had just tread. "_Spero che Ezio è giusto,_ (I hope Ezio is okay)."

"I'm sure he's fine," Leonardo said comfortingly. "From what I've heard, he's been through worse."

Lowering my eyes, I knew that Leonardo was right, but I still felt just a little bit uneasy. I knew somewhere deep inside that I was worrying over nothing, but I still couldn't help but worry about him. It seemed sort of natural.

Leonardo lead the horses, who were huffing and puffing, not used to pulling so much weight, away from the path that lead into the city of Forli, taking the path that winded down to the docks. Forli and the docks was defiantly a gloomy sight to see, and I don't think it was just the weather that caused it to be so. Everything seemed either dull gray or mushy green. It was sort of almost depressing. I tried not to look back at all the wondering eyes that were locked onto us as we passed by. You'd think, this being a port town, that people would get used to seeing new faces. When we reached the docks, Leonardo took the time to ask where the boat to Venice was docking, and once we were pointed in the general direction, Leonardo too us over to the quite large looking boat.

It took quite a bit of time to get all of Leonardo's stuff down the long walkway to the ramp leading to the boat. The porter gave us some odd looks when we carried the large flying machine down to the end as well, but he didn't say anything.

"I hope Ezio gets here in time before the boat leaves," I told Leonardo as we unhitched the horses and let them graze nearby.

Leo laughed lightly. "The boat doesn't leave for a bit, Narina. We still have a bit over an hour left."

I sighed. "Yes, I know, but still...I can't help but worry about him." I gazed up at the cloudy sky, the clouds turning darker and darker with every second it seemed. I drew in a deep breath through my nose, smelling the evident rain coming, along with the salt in the sea. "I'm going," I said quickly, turning towards the horses, grabbing the darker one that I had rode all day yesterday.

"To go find Ezio?"

I nodded, pulling myself up into the saddle. "_Si_. We'll be back before you know it."

Sighing, Leo shrugged and shook his head. "Alright. Be safe."

I dug my heels into the horses side, taking to a gallop immediately down the road. I strayed away from the main path, so that I didn't have to dodge through the crowd. When I was finally in the clear, having passed the bridges and most of the people, I rode back into the mountains, determined to find my hooded assassin.

Only after about ten minutes of riding back into the mountains, I saw him walking down the middle of the road, and I could see the blood on his sleeves from even the distance I was at. I raced to him, making him look up at the sound of the horses hoofs upon the ground. He smiled when he saw it was me, the smirk peeping out from under his hood. I was glad that I was able to see it again, and I pulled the horse to a stop near him.

"Hey there, stranger," I said jokingly, smiling down at Ezio. "Care for a ride?"

There was a tilt of his head. "Would you be so kind, milady?"

I laughed, relieved that he was okay. "But of course. My destination is Forli, if that isn't a problem."

"What good fortune!" Ezio motioned for me to slide back in the saddle, him apparently wanting to lead. "I'm heading there as well! Do you mind if I lead you there, kind lady?"

Scooting back in the saddle, I sighed exasperatedly. "Fine, if you insist." He chuckled and jumped up into the saddle, adjusting his weight on the horse who sidestepped uncomfortably. Once we were all set, Ezio gave the horse a light tap of his foot, prodding it into a comfortable trot. I leaned back against the saddle, having enough balance within myself so that I didn't have to cling to him."So," I continued, still playing around as if I truly didn't know Ezio, "what business do you have in Forli?"

Ezio chuckled. "Would you believe me if I said a had a beautiful woman waiting for me?"

I smiled lightly. _How sly of him_. "I can believe it. You seem charming enough to have any woman waiting for you."

"Oddly enough, your beauty is very similar to hers, my lady," Ezio continued, obviously ignoring my remark. "May I have your name?"

"My close friends call me Narina." I laughed out loud all of a sudden feeling slightly giddy.

"I'm Ezio." He replied. "Ezio Auditore da Firenze."

"Ironic," I mused. "I come from Firenze as well." I busted up laughing again, throwing my arms around Ezio's middle. "Good to see that you're okay, Ezio! I was worried, you know."

"You really need to stop worrying over nothing, you know," Ezio commented. "It's probably not healthy."

I felt myself pout. "You're not one to tell me what's healthy or not."

Ezio paused. "I was going to ask why, but just forget it."

We were quiet the rest of the way to Forli, the steady thud of the horse's steps rocking beneath us. When the city and docks came into view, Ezio turned and asked me if I needed to stop in the city for anything. We had no reason to, so we made our way over to the docks. However, on the way there, Ezio suddenly veered the horse to the left, leading us to a nearby group of three people.

"What are we doing?" I whispered to him. He didn't reply and we approached the group, two older men bickering with a young woman. They all turned to us at our approach, and I noticed how the girl regarded Ezio, her eyes traveling from the base of his boot to the hood upon his head.

"_Salute_," Ezio greeted with a smirk.

The girl smiled immediately. "Hello, there." She looked to the other two men around her. "What luck that you'd show up right at this moment. I was just saying to my friends that anyone could beat their stupid little horse race." She winked at Ezio. "Care to try?"

My giddiness quickly faded and was replaced with utter disgust. Did this woman not see that _I_ was the one on the same horse as him? Then I caught myself and got even more mad. Since when did it become a contest?

"Of course," Ezio accepted, and I lightly pinched his side, making him flinch and look back at me. "What?" He whispered.

"If you have forgotten, we have a boat to catch, _idioto_," I whispered in a sour tone. "Leo is waiting for us. We don't have time to be playing games." We actually had plenty of time, but I didn't like the way the girl was gazing at Ezio.

"This will take no time at all," Ezio told me back softly. "I'll race then go to the docks afterwords. If you don't want to race, then I can take you to the docks real quick so you won't have to walk."

I sighed, letting my head fall back against my shoulders. Leaving him alone with the girl wasn't exactly ideal either...but it was going to have to do, because she was really irritating me. Besides, I trusted that Ezio wouldn't answer to her gaze since he had told me he'd never use me. We decided that he'd race as soon as he took me to the docks, and with that, we left the three and took for the docks.

Leonardo was pleased to see us return so soon, and thanked Ezio for helping him through the men attacking us in the mountains.

"It's no problem, my friend," Ezio replied with a smile, giving me his hand to help me lower myself to the ground. Once I was on my two feet, I stood by Leonardo and folded my arms up at Ezio, and I couldn't help but glare lightly at him.

"Have fun with your little race," I mumbled. "You had better win it too."

Ezio winked down at me. "I will. Don't worry." With that, he turned the horse away and trotted away.

It surprised me when Leonardo turned to me and said "Are you sure you're fine with this?" It was so strange how he could see how uncomfortable I was with something.

I watched Ezio ride off into the distance, back to the girl and this race, and after a good minute, I whispered "No. I'm actually not."

Leonardo looked out after Ezio as well. "Then why?"

Ezio disappeared in the distance, behind a set of trees and rocks, and I felt my fists clench tightly, like I was trying to grip harder onto him, but when he wasn't in my sight, I knew that I had no hold on him. I let my eyes fall from Ezio's vanishing point, and I became very conscious of the way my lips pressed together. "Because I trust him, that's why."

I just hoped that my trust wasn't wasted.

* * *

We sat by Leonardo's things for about a half an hour, watching the glistening water in a silence, Leonardo's eyes growing wide in inspiration from the wide and shimmering, gray sea. I had been picking at my fingernails quietly the whole time, my foot tapping impatiently against the dock. Finally, I slammed my hand against the box I was sitting on. "How long does it take to win a fucking race!" I exalted, standing up and starting to pace. Leonardo, butted out of his daydream, looked at me slowly. I was half-expecting him to give me a lecture, but, surprisingly, he just sighed and continued to stare back over the sea. In a small, little way, I was actually kind of disappointed that Leonardo wasn't going to give me any advice. Not only was I sort of upset, but, for some reason, I was sort of scared too, and I felt that Leonardo's advice usually gave me something to go by. Perhaps he saw that this was something that I had to do on my own, despite how uncomfortable I was making myself.

There was no discussion about it. With only a slight nod to Leonardo, I walked off of the dock, heading down the road that lead back to the side of Forli. Twisting around inside of me was a feeling of uncertainty, the strain of the wanting to stop where I was standing and to turn back around.

Why was Ezio taking so long to race? Was it really that long of a race? By only a few feet of walking from the wooden dock, I had started to run down the path, dodging past the few people that walked towards me and feeling the fear latching onto my better judgment. I had a really bad feeling in my gut and it drove me to run even faster. I was frantic suddenly, my head thudding loudly as if it was trying to yell at me. _Stop!_ It was screaming. _Don't do this!_ But I couldn't stop myself, and in a way, I didn't really want to. My feelings had never lied to me before, and I wanted to know why my insides twisted so wickedly.

When I spotted the area where I had last seen the woman with the men, there was no one there. However, I saw my horse grazing nearby, nibbling lightly at the ground around a large haystack and a battered cart to the side of the path. I slowed to a stop a good twenty feet away, gazing around the area warily. Since the horse was still here, that meant Ezio was around, right? The fear kept my mouth shut, refusing to let my tongue call out for him, as I made my way slowly over to the horse. At my approach, the beast caught a sight of me, obviously recognized me, and raised his muzzle to nicker, making his way over to meet me. I made another sweep with my eyes across the empty proximity, and then I sighed quietly, reaching out and touching the horses nose.

"Where did your rider go, my friend?" I whispered to the horse, rubbing his soft muzzle. The large, dark eyes that stared back at me gave me no answers. In a strange way, they seemed to try and comfort me, like the animal could see how my level of discomfort was truly abnormal. I had heard that animals seemed to have that sixth sense. Soon, the horse grew tired of me, and lowered his head to the grass again. Sighing, I decided that there was nothing that I could do now. I had no clue as to where Ezio was, and I had no idea where he could _even_ be.

That's when I heard it.

It was a small noise, but high pitched and almost wispy. Confused, I looked around the area again, my brow furrowed. There wasn't anyone in hearing range; the closest ones were quite a bit a ways away. I cocked my head to the left, straining to catch the sound if it rang out once again. No, I didn't hear it again, but, while my head was tilted in such a fashion, I caught sight of something shining next to the broken cart and hay. I had to make a double-take, my face twisting up into confusion. The objects were swords and short blades, just strewn out carelessly on the ground.

Wait...where those...Ezio's?

I squinted my eyes and leaned forward as if that could let me see clearer. Yes, I was positive that was the sword that I saw Ezio hook to his hip only the day before. What did that mean? Where was Ezio? It was odd that his weapons were strewn about. _Too_ odd. Perhaps the reason why I was worried was because he had been attacked...but no. It was something worse—more on my level. I could feel it. Pushing through my fear and worries, I made my way over to the metal on the ground. When I was about three feet away form the abandoned swords, my eyes finally locked onto just what had made the odd noise before. And I knew immediately that this is what I was trying to warn myself about.

Cradled between the rather large haystack and the crippled cart, there was a bundle of clothes, movement in steady rhythms. For a moment, I was at a loss of what I was looking at, freezing in my steps as I tried desperately to comprehend what was happening. When I realized that the moving object was a woman—her shoulders propped high up, her skirts bunched around her hips with her bare legs branching out over the sides of her, her knees digging into the ground—I also realized that the woman was sitting upon another set of hips. Then came the acknowledgment of the legs that were popping out from under the woman, the pair of pants that were pulled down to strong knees, stretching the fabric as the legs spread further apart. I knew those boots all too well. I recognized those harbored deep breaths that I could suddenly hear. The same hands that were upon the woman's hips were ones that I had touched my face many times. And even knowing all of this, it took me the whole thinking process to realize just what I was witnessing: the horse racing girl bouncing among Ezio's hips, just fucking each other on the side of the road.

A million thoughts rushed through my head, but none of them were understandable to me. There was one that just circled around and around, trying to become recognizable. Only when I had stared in disbelief then turned to run, my legs carrying me away quickly, did I realize that I was covering my lips with shaking fingers, my mind screaming:_ I tried to warn you. You've been deceived._

Leonardo looked up in shock at my hasty approach, my cheeks flushed bright red, my breaths short and quick, and tears in my eyes. He took the sight of me as a sign that something was wrong.

He gripped onto my shoulders. "What's happened?" My eyes fell to our feet and I shrugged off his hands.

"Nothing," I lied, brushing past him. I hated to treat Leonardo as such, but I didn't want to explain to him what I had just saw. I was mortified. Shocked. I returned to my spot next to the crates, leaning against them and keeping my eyes on my hands. The tears were no longer in my eyes, but my body was still shaking lightly. Again and again, my fingertips danced along my lips, pressing into my skin as if trying to take away the painful memory that was burned into them. Leonardo saw my distress, keeping his distance on his side of the dock. Without much movement, the exception of my trembling limbs and shifting eyes, I tried hard to shut out my inner self away from the world, no longer wanting to be aware of what was going on about me.

It was only a few moments after I had returned that Ezio came galloping along the path, pulling the horse to a stop. I didn't even spare him a glance, I kept my gaze out on the gray sea, no longer seeing the beauty or smelling the mud and salty shores. Ezio announced that he had won the race with a satisfied, triumphant grin. Leonardo gave his congratulations, then a silence settled between them, and I could feel both sets of eyes upon my turned back. I imagined that they had a silent discussion about my sudden mood, and what I found odd when I thought about it, about how Ezio would act like he had done nothing wrong, was that I wasn't really even mad at him right now. Why should I be? I was the one who was stupid enough to believe his word, to take it like he really and truly meant it. But I couldn't even make myself turn to look at him. I couldn't look at his face without realizing how idiotic that I had been to believe the bullshit that had came out of his mouth. Was I disgusted with him, or was it really myself that I was disappointed in?

"Well, then," Leonardo said cheerfully, "let's load our things onto the boat right quick." I took the moment before they approached me to take a step onto the walking plank that lead up to the ship. Surprisingly, I was pulled back, thrown back onto the dock. I looked up in shock at the man standing by the plank, his hand outstretched. "I need your pass," he spat at me.

I let myself poke out through my facade for a moment. "What pass?" I snapped back.

Leonardo turned to me, worry on his face. "You don't have a pass?"

I got defensive. "No one told me I had to!"

The man make a stance in front of the plank. "You can't enter _Venezia_ without a pass, unless someone invites you." His eyes traveled down my body, and I felt my fists clench. It defiantly wasn't a smart move on his part. Ezio had the same problem I had—we were not told that we had to get passes. Leonardo was deeply concerned about the situation, looking hesitant to go ahead without us.

"Don't worry, Leonardo," Ezio assured. "We'll find a way." He meant, _he'll_ find a way. I wasn't going to hang around Forli for very long—I'd just return back to Monteriggioni.

"_Bastardo!_" We all turned towards the sudden scream, looking out into the water to the rocks that formed small, dotting islands in the deep water. There was a man in a boat, rowing quickly away from the islands. But the scream was much to high pitched to come from man in the boat.

"There's a woman out there!" Leonardo exclaimed, lifting his hands to his brow to shade his eyes. Sure enough, there was a light haired woman standing among the stranded isle, her dress very puffy and dark, swirling about her.

"Help!" She screamed again. "I don't know how to swim!"

_You're not even in the water,_ I thought bitterly._ You'll survive_.

Ezio, on the other hand, grew concerned. Without consulting with either Leonardo and I, he climbed into an abandoned, small boat, standing up next to the stick to push himself across the water. I felt my earlier anger and distrust well up in my chest.

Of course he was going to save her.

* * *

The woman pulled strings for Ezio and I in return for him saving her. Somehow, she had gotten the guard to agree to let Ezio and I onto the boat without passes. She offered her home to us (more Ezio) when we were back in the city, smirking and whispering a small remark to Ezio that I didn't catch. Nor did I want to. I felt so weak and tired, and I told myself that I shouldn't care anymore, even though I still did. With the help of Ezio, Leonardo pulled all of his and our luggage onto the boat, placing them down under the docks for the long ride over to Venice. The porter called out that the boat would be leaving soon, apparently going to sail by the light of the moon, for it was already dusk. On the deck, we all stood at the railing, Ezio waving back to the woman who was watching us from the docks. With one odd lurch and some loud creaking, the boat started to move forward.

Leonardo, who was to my left, sighed and leaned back against the railing. He tried to give me a look, I noticed, but I ignored him, and turned my head away, my arms folded tightly. Seeing that I wasn't going to elaborate on his questioning gaze, he turned to Ezio. "Ezio, do you know who that woman was, exactly?"

I couldn't help it, and I had to look at Ezio from the very corner of my eye. Ezio smirked, leaned against the railing like Leonardo. "My next conquest," Ezio said with a smirk.

Then I felt myself fall apart, like those were the magic words to unlock the anger inside of me. In a flash, I was standing before Ezio, my vision blurring from the overwhelming anger that boiled within me. "Is that all it is to you! A fucking _**conquest**_!" I screamed at him. "What, was _I _just another fucking conquest that you've accomplished! It's all just a BIG GAME for you, isn't it? You never _once_ cared about anything that I asked of you! You're such a FUCKING LIAR!" I could feel the tears streaming down my face, which made me even more mad that I was crying about it. I wiped at my face with the back of my knuckles, keeping my teeth clenched together so that my sobs wouldn't bang against my throat. I was too upset, my vision to blurred, for me to see his face. But I didn't want to anymore. If I did, I might punch out those teeth of his that showed when he tried to grin all innocently. "You've always lied! You've always made me believe in things that never really existed! And to think that I wasted my time on even thinking that it was okay to trust you!" I screamed, shaking my head.

Enveloped in anger, I realized just how much I despised being in Ezio's presence. I was no longer only disgusted in myself, but I couldn't even look at the assassin anymore. I twisted on my heel before either of the men could speak, and ran for the doors to the cabins below deck. I wasn't sure how I knew where I was going, but I ended up in the right compartment, the shared cabin that had four cots for travelers to sleep in on a night trip such as this. One corner of the already crowded room was filled with all of our baggage. Once the door was closed behind my, my frantic run was over, and I felt sluggish and drained again. In an odd stupor, I made my way over to one of the cots, letting myself collapse onto it. It wasn't comfortable, but it was better than having to sleep on the ground. I wasn't tired, but I didn't want to wander around the ship. I'd just lay in bed, hoping that I'd fall asleep before anyone else came in.

I buried my face into the pillow, allowing the fabric to soak up my tears, and also my anger. Although I was still upset at Ezio, I no longer felt the need to rip off somebody's head just to ease the raging fires. As I calmed, I began to think about what had happened. And I realized something. I realized that Ezio's playing field was like a chess set, like the one that Federico had taught me to play years before. There were so many little pawns that you'd have to go through before you'd find the target, the main objective. I understood that I was like a pawn in Ezio eyes—small, poorly experienced, and easy to push aside.

I had been played and knocked over. I could no longer move forward in the game.

* * *

**GAH! I have been meaning to mention this earlier, but if any of you are willing, I'd LOVE some fan art. (and it doesn't have to be a freaking masterpiece—I'd love ANY) :3 If you have a DA, my page can be found on my FF profile, but if you don't have a DA but are still willing, send it to my e-mail.  
****Hotmail: thedarklistener_36hotmail(.)com -Remove parenthesis around the '.'.**

**Anyways...  
****What a chapter. I was sort of rushed at the end...so it sort of sucks...I might revise it later, add more detail to the screaming and what not. I had a lot of fun making Narina a righteously pissed off woman. And let's just say, Rosa isn't going to make things any better (well, not at first, anyways).**

**Question of the Day: Someone mentioned this in a review a few chapters back... Who do you think would be a good actress for Narina?  
****Thanks again, and review please!**


	17. Ribbons of Memories

**-HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPORKEDGAMER! :D  
****-Listen to 'Between the Lines' by Sara Bareilles. It's one of the songs out there that sort of really describe my story. :3  
****-So, I went to College Planning Days today...It's so weird to think that I'll be out of High School in such little time... D: Where did all the times go!**

**Thanks for reviewing!:  
****Lionpawheart  
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****SporkedGamer (sorry—you're not on the top of the list this time. XD)  
****McGinnis INC.  
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****xenocanaan**

* * *

_We all begin with good intent,  
__when love was raw and young.  
__We believe that we can change ourselves,  
__the past can be undone...  
__I'm lost to those I thought were friends,  
__to everyone I know.  
__Oh, they turn their heads __embarrassed,  
__pretend that they don't see  
__that it's one missed step, __one slip before you know it,  
__and there doesn't seem to be a way to be redeemed_

– 'Fallen' by Sarah Mclaughlin

* * *

**Chapter 16: Ribbons of Memories**

When I opened my eyes, I saw utter blackness. I blinked a few times warily, trying to recall as to where I was. _The boat_, I thought, taking a small breath of relief. I sat up in the bed, pushing the covers down off of me and then rubbed at my eyes which were puffed and and crusty from the salt left behind from the tears. Thinking about the tears made me remember why I had been so upset in the first place. Sighing, I dropped my hands from my face, and put my legs over the edge of the bed. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough so that I could see the breathing figure in the bed on the other side of the cabin. I knew immediately that it was Ezio—I had heard those sleeping, even breaths so many times before.

As I stared at his slumbering body, I realized that I wasn't really mad at him,that I had never been mad at him. It was more of myself that I had been upset with. I had thought that I was smart enough to not fall for his charm. Why did it seem that no matter how hard I tried, I wasted my kisses on things that would soon end? I shook my head, and then stood from the bed, walking over to the door to exit the room.

I hadn't realized that it was still dark out. The moon was high above me, dangling at the apex of the sky, glowing down upon the sea and the boat. It must have been around midnight, for the deck was deserted. I walked out across the boat, to the edge to lean against the railing and gaze out over the sea, reflecting light in the moonlight. The cool breeze drifted across my face, tangling into my hair that was still held back by Ezio's red ribbon. I took a moment to recall how it had felt when he ran his fingers through the thick strands before I reached up and pulled off the ribbon, letting my hair fall out against my shoulders and tumble down my back. Twisting the red ribbon around my fingers, I stared at it quietly, thinking of just how I had been so careless to think that it had meant something. As I stared at the fabric between my fingers, I frowned as I was reminded of the necklace that still hung at my collar bone. I untwisted one of my hands from the ribbon and reached up to hold the round charm in my fingers, touching the warm metal.

Although I cherished my time with Federico, perhaps this necklace was yet another foolish trinket of wasted hope. My heart ached at the thought of it, telling me yet again that I been an idiot even years before, thinking that a few days was enough to love someone. How could four _days_ be enough when clearly four _years_ wasn't?

I clenched my fist around the charm, yanking on it roughly. The chain pushed into my skin before breaking, allowing me to hold out the necklace along with the ribbon. Both of them swayed lightly in my grasp, pushed by the gentle wind, the ribbon twisting around the chain as if to mend the broken bond, the round charm gleaming brightly in the moonlight. I closed my eyes slowly, the sting of tears in my eyes as I held them over the railing.

And then I dropped both of them. The ribbon, being caught within the chain, was dragged down quickly. There was a small splash, and before the boat passed by, I watched the vibrant red fade down into the dark waters. Just like that, they were gone I stared at the vanishing point for a moment, feeling suddenly numb and uncaring. I pushed away from the railing and made my way back to the cabins below.

* * *

Leonardo woke me up the next morning by shaking my shoulder. "Narina, we'll be arriving at _Venezia_ any moment now." When he was sure that I was awake, he left the room to let me get a hold of my bearings. As I gained a full consciousness of my surroundings, I realized that the bed next to me was empty, and also that all of our luggage had been removed from the room. We were obviously closer to Venice than I had first thought, and I quickly rose from the bed. Forgetting about my tangled mess of hair, I climbed up onto the deck, searching over the few heads that were scattered across the surface before I saw Leonardo and Ezio standing by the railing, gazing out over the sea. When I approached them, they both fell silent, Leonardo turning to face me while Ezio kept his gaze forward, his face covered by his hood. So, he was going to ignore me now, hm? Well, two could play at that game.

"_Buon Giorno_," Leonardo greeted with a smile. I nodded in acknowledgment, standing to Leo's other side, determined to act as though Ezio wasn't there. Obviously going to be Switzerland in this ordeal, Leonardo raised his arms out over the railing and exclaimed, "Have you ever seen a more beautiful site than Venice reflecting in the morning waters? It's remarkable!"

It was indeed beautiful, the large city sitting in the bright morning sun, seeming as though it was floating upon the very same waters we sailed upon. The high towers and roofs made the city seem as though it too was a part of the flowing waves, curving along across the town. But for some odd reason, I wasn't exactly receptive to 'remarkable' sites that morning. I felt empty almost, like I really couldn't care less about Venice anymore. So, instead of saying anything to Leonardo, I placed my hands upon the railing and stared down at the choppy waters the lapped against the boat. It was obvious that there was an odd tension between Ezio and I, the reason for Leonardo's attempts to get us talking to fail miserably. Finally, the artist sighed and fell silent along with us, leaning forward on the railing.

The silence lasted the entire time, through the time the boat docked and the time we unloaded all of our stuff, placing it on the streets by the docks. As Ezio placed the last box among the pile, a man called out to Leonardo. "_Messire!_" We all turned to the approaching man, who smiled broadly at all of us, holding out his arms. "Please, don't worry about your things—we'll have them transported to your shop later." Leonardo looked over his stuff slowly, to Ezio and I, then back to the man, nodding. "I've been told to show you to your shop, so please, follow me." Ezio and I veered to our spots on each side of Leonardo. I realized that I should have felt bad for making him be the damper between us, but I couldn't care enough at the moment. The tour was all a big drawl for me for I didn't pay any attention to what the man was saying as we walked through the long, dusty streets, leading us through the maze of tall buildings. I just kept my gaze to the left of me, keeping my eyes away from both Leonardo and Ezio, watching the people that walked by who didn't even give acknowledgment of us walking by.

"Narina." Leonardo had taken a hold of my elbow, preventing me from walking further. I looked back and saw that they had all stopped, the guide man gesturing an open palm to the large, roofed market. He kept saying something about how Venice's products were the best in all of Italy, but even then, I tuned him out, folding my arms and letting my eyes lock onto an odd rock on the ground. The strange thing was that I wasn't even thinking of anything else as I ignored the man. I was reminded again that I was feeling empty and so cold on the inside, not really taking note of anything.

There was a shift in the air, and I actually looked up from the ground, looking to the stall that was behind us all. The others had adjusted their gazes to the stall as well. A group of guards were approaching the stall, their swords drawn. Their voices grew to shouts, threatening the man that was standing stiffly behind the stand.

"I have payed the money!" The merchant was exclaiming. "I have every right to sell here!"

The guards lifted their swords into the air. "We have another say in the matter!" With that, they started to slice their swords into the merchant's wares, kicking at his stall, turning it all into rambles. I watched with a feeling that was not unlike to horror and hatred, but yet again, the feeling was so dim and acute that I couldn't truly grasp a hold of it. But I _tried_ to hold onto it, tried to force it into being. But no matter how hard I tried, the numbness seemed to overshadow all else. I stared as the devastated merchant looked down upon his ruined stall, throwing his hands into the air in disbelief. There was a small moment where I felt like I was floating among my emptiness, and I realized that no matter how isolated a city may seem from the rest of the world, corruption was still evident. Leonardo's hand was on my elbow again, bringing me back down to the solid ground, and we continued on the tour.

We walked through a street that had many more stores to gaze into: fabricators, art shops, and other good supplied shops. I was apparently judging my movements upon Leonardo's, for when he stopped by an art store, I stopped as well. Ezio stalled behind with us too, and I could almost see that the tour was torturing him as much as it was to me. Leonardo picked up a strange, doll looking thing from the art window, gazing at it with admiring eyes. He held it out to me, assessed my expression, then turned to Ezio with it. " Isn't it amazing?" He exalted excitedly. Then the young artist turned suddenly sheepish. "If you would be so kind to buy it for me—I have forgotten my money pouch with my baggage..."

I saw Ezio smile, fold his arms and tilt his head at Leonardo. There was a group that ran by then, a scruffy looking bunch, my attention latching onto them for a moment.

"Hey!" I heard Ezio exalt, causing me to change my attention on a girl, of whom I suspected was running with the group of men, run by, stopping to look back upon Ezio, regarding his figure. "Mind your step, _coglione_ (jerk)!" Ezio continued. The girl ignored him, turning away and continuing to run down the path. I kept my eyes on the corner of which the group had disappeared while I heard Ezio tell Leonardo: "She just tried to rob me!" _Ah_, I thought slowly._ The Venezia Thieves Guild_.

* * *

The next stop in the tour was the _Palazzo dela Seta, _of which apparently the Doge took refuge in, Emilio Babario. For an odd reason, I took good note of this stop. When the guide suggested that he would want us to get a closer look but now wasn't the best time, Ezio asked of why and what had happened. The sense of duty had taken him out of his anger cloud, it had seemed.

"The Doge—he tries to unite the merchants under one banner, but there has been some resistance..."

Ezio gazed over the building then back to the guide. "What kind of resistance, exactly?"

The guide shrugged and scoffed. "They say that they fight for the people. For Freedom. Whatever it is, it is all nonsense to me." Ezio gave the building another long look, the curve of his hood hiding his face from my gaze. And when I realized that I was staring upon him, I looked quickly away, telling myself that of all the games Ezio played with me that I was going to win this one. I wouldn't give in.

Finally the tour came to an end, the guide leading up to the large building within the city, reaching up high into the sky. The red bricks were faded in the light, and it somewhat reminded me of the warmness of the tiles in Florence. The guide made a smart remark of how Leonardo would be very wonderful to have the artist in the city. The guide held out his hand, to gain some money for the tour. Leonardo gazed down at it quickly, then simply gave the boy a pat on his shoulder before turning away again. The man grunted and turned to walk away. Leonardo gazed up at the building, then turned back towards Ezio and I. "Well, here we are. It's all so exciting!" Leonardo gestured to the door. "Would you like to come inside?"

Ezio shook his head, and I did as well, only Ezio gave a verbal response as well. "No, but later perhaps. I need to go...visit Emilio." I really didn't want to stay at the shop right now—staying meant that I would have to help unpack all of Leonardo's things. But perhaps I didn't want to stick around with Ezio either. I decided that, if I did go with Ezio, maybe that would make him apologize faster, having me in his presence.

"Then, good luck my friends! And remember that my door is always open to you!" Leonardo spread his arms out, receiving a hug from Ezio. When he turned to me, he smiled softly and gave me a big hug as if he were trying to comfort me. "Thanks for the inspiration, Narina," he murmured to me as I stepped away from his arms. I asked him with my gaze of what he meant, but he turned away to nod at Ezio before walking into his new workshop. After a small pause, Ezio turned and walked back around the way we came, and I slowly turned along to follow him a few feet behind, like a shadow. We only walked a few feet before he glanced back and saw me, having to do a double take as if he were surprised.

"You're coming along as well?" In the short moment our eyes met, I could feel something nibbling at the edge of my numbness, and I quickly looked away. I didn't respond to his question but kept following him down the street. We walked back to the _Palazzo dela Seta_, stopping when we realized that the entrance was heavily guarded. We gazed up at the building, standing next to each other in a silence. Ezio turned towards me, the air of seriousness about him, and I gazed back, placing aside our petty game.

"We need to scale the wall," Ezio explained, pointing up at the wall, making me look up at it. "While I distract the guards, I need to you climb up before me." I looked back from the wall to Ezio, raising my own finger to point at it.

"That gap is too large, Ezio," I explained, describing the large space between the rim of a wall to a specially engraved design. "There's no way I can reach up to it." He stared down at me for a moment, almost as if he were surprised to hear my voice. I had realized that the last time I had spoke in front of him was when I had yelled at him.

His attention was taken away from me when the same group of men from earlier rushed by us, running into the guards at the entrance to the courtyard of the _Palazzo_ then running off quicker into the courtyard. The guards all yelled and chased after the group, leaving the gate unattended. Before he could comment on our good fortune, the girl that had ran into Ezio later ran by us quickly, and threw herself up onto the _Palazzo's_ wall, pulling herself up higher. I gasped in surprised when she threw herself even higher on the wall while she was climbing, clearing the large gap that had stopped both Ezio and I. Before I could marvel too much, there was a loud whizzing, and arrows were being crushed against the wall all around her, barely missing her. And then one did hit her, pierced right through her right leg, splattering blood all against the wall. I watched in a silent horror as she fell and rolled on the ground. Even more surprising, she stood from the ground and started to run towards us, the arrow still sticking through her leg. As if her fighting spirit wasn't already shown, she approached Ezio and I, and without even really paying much attention to us, she huffed to us "We have to go!"

I stared down at her wounded leg with wide eyes. I wasn't sure what it was about open wounds that affected me so much now, but I quivered nonetheless. Ezio had apparently stalled, saying something about the woman's earlier encounter with us. I figured that I had gone back into 'ignoring him' mode, because his words just seemed to slip by me.

"NOW!" The woman exalted, causing me to look up at her face, then to the right to see what she was looking at. Guards were fast approaching us, their eyes on us, their targets.

Ezio grew serious once more, and I could catch onto his words. "_Bene_. Where to?"

"The water." The girl turned on her heel, and started to run away down the streets, hobbling oddly on her injured leg.

"That doesn't narrow it down exactly!" Ezio commented, taking after her. It must have been out of an unthinking impulse when Ezio reached back for my wrist, catching it in his grasp as he started to tug me along. I noticed right away that...well, this wasn't allowed in our so called _game_. A small tug from my resisting arm reminded him too, and he automatically let go without giving me a second glance.

We ran through the streets after the limping thief, of whom cleared the path before us greatly—she shoved everyone away, sending them to the ground. Although not very kind, it was very convenient, and Ezio and I followed without hesitation. Around every corner it seemed as though there were guards waiting for us. The girl had a dagger in her hand, fighting off for herself. Although I had the moves, it was of really no use when I couldn't actually execute them. I used my defensive maneuvers though, fending the guards that attacked at me long enough so that either Ezio or the woman would take care of them. I noticed with a slight prick of annoyance just how easily this girl killed. Why did I have to be the only one who _couldn't_ kill?

As we ran through the streets, sticking close together now, the woman suddenly slowed and fell back, groaning loudly, her hand trembling in the air above her wound on her leg. Without even a second glace at her, Ezio had stooped over and took the thief into his arms, holding her up in his arms. When I saw how well they seemed to be together, I sharply looked away, sensing that Ezio had found a new game to take a part in, throwing aside the game between us.

"I never got your name," Ezio hummed smoothly to her, continuing to walk the way that we had been heading. I followed timidly behind them, glowering at the back of Ezio's hood.

"Rosa," the girl said, putting her arm around his shoulders.

"It's a pleasure, _signora. _I only wish that we could have met under different circumstances. I'm-"

"Ezio Auditore, I know." The way she made sound caused my glare to deepen. "Everyone around here has been expecting you, you know." She looked over his shoulder at me, gazing down and over me. "This must be that woman who is said to always be at your side. She's shorter than I would have thought." Although I could see that Rosa was trying to pick a fight with me, I couldn't find myself to be mad at her. My glare was locked on the back of Ezio's hood.

"She has a temper that matches that shortness," Ezio commented as if he could feel my glare. Rosa snorted and laughed, leaning against his shoulder comfortably. I allowed enough of myself to accept the fact that I was upset with myself again—seeing this Rosa woman falling so quickly into Ezio's charm reminded me of how I had been...

"Ugo!" Rosa suddenly exclaimed, and I looked up to where we were heading. There was another thief man, standing at the edge of a small dock that had a boat next to it. He had brown curls that peeped out from under the wrap bound around his head. His dark eyes widened in surprise as he assessed Ezio carrying Rosa, and he drew the sword that was hanging at his hip.

"What is this?" He exclaimed, pointing the sword at Ezio, and then, at my approach, to me.

"Rosa has been wounded," Ezio explained. Ugo assessed his wounded ally in the assassin's arms then back to me, back to them before he sheathed his sword again.

The theif gestured to the boat down in the water, another thief sitting in it. "Put her in the boat—the rest of the way is by water."When Ezio tried to hand Rosa over to Ugo's arms, she screamed and started to curse loudly. Seeing that it was causing her intense pain, the thieves helped Ezio adjust himself to sit in to boat, Rosa rigid with pain in his arms. Ugo looked up at me suddenly. "Get in, Narina." I was taken aback that he even knew my name, and I gave him an odd look. Before he could reply to the look, there was the whiz of an arrow through the air, and I snapped my gaze up to a small over pass where a guard was aiming an arrow at us. Ugo lunged forward to me, taking a hold of my arm, his gaze on the thief in the boat. "Quickly—go now!" Ezio tried to put Rosa down so that he could help with the guards as well, but Rosa screamed out in pain again, clinging onto Ezio's robes. Ugo pointed down at Ezio. "Don't hurt her, _asino_! Narina and I will take care of the guards!"

"What!" I exclaimed, snapping out of my daze finally and staring in bewilderment at the young thief next to me. "Wait, whoa, I didn't agree to this!"

Ugo's eyes narrowed down at me, beckoning the other thief to move the boat. "You trained with Ezio, _ragazza, _so I'm positive that you can fight."

"Sure, I can fight, but I can't kill!" I snapped, certainly not in any mood to deal with this uptight, petty thief

As Ugo gave me an odd look, Ezio called up from the boat, "She's defective like that." I sneered at him, seriously considering retrying my killing skills on _him, _but Ugo started to tug on my arm again.

"You don't have to kill—just fight them off."

Easier said than done, of course. But I kept my mouth shut and just decided to go with the flow. Ugo took care of the initial guard that had shot at us before, jumping along side the water way on the buildings side structures However totally at a loss at what I was supposed to do at first, I just followed behind after Ugo, trying to keep my head down from the shooting arrows. Soon, I figured out that I could be a very good distraction in one direction and Ugo would attack them when they were focused on me. When we were able to, I switched to the other sides of the buildings, calling attention to my actions rather than to the boat or the sneaky thief who stayed a few feet behind me on the other side of the canal. I kept catching glances of the boat down in the water, Ezio cradling Rosa in his arms, towering his figure over hers so that she wouldn't get hit by the arrows.

Whenever I had ran into a guard on my side of the buildings, Ugo not able to take care of them for me, I couldn't bring myself to push some of them off, like I somehow subconsciously knew that some of them couldn't swim. When that would happen, I would duck, dodge, hooking my leg behind theirs, knocking their legs out from under them, making sure that they landed flat on their backs on the post that they once stood. However a short ride away to our destination, the stress and the worry in the air made the trip seem like ages, made it seem that there was no way to get through completely. Ugo had taken little damage by the time he had called out down to Ezio and the other thieves. "The entrance is there! Go quickly!" The boat lurched ahead of Ugo and I on our perches, heading towards the large water entry way in the side of a wall like structure. Gazing around, I searched for a way to get over to the other side so that I could approach the entrance. Spotting a high wire between the two buildings, I decided to scale the rest of the building and cross there.

"Narina!" Ugo yelled over at me. Without even thinking I dropped down, keeping my head down. A shadow was placed over me, and I stared up in muted shock. There was a scruffy looking guard hovering over me, his arm extended, the blade in his hand in the spot were my head had just been. I tried to twist around on my right foot, planning on hooking my left around the mans legs. But all too soon, the man had a hold of my arm, twisting it up around my back, holding my up. I grunted out in pain, a sharp stab going up through my back. He pulled me towards him, his other hand twisting the blade up against my throat.

"Nice try, _ragazza_," the guards sneered at me, smirking into my hair.

I couldn't bring myself around enough to actually fight back, but I did struggle a bit, ignoring the blade against my neck. "Let go of me," I spat. I didn't have to say much more. There was a small whizzing noise, and I heard a short gasp from the guard. I thought that I was set free, thankful to look up and see that Ugo had thrown a short blade and nailed the guard right at the nape of his neck, delving into his throat, when I felt his grip loosen on my wrist. But then all of his weight was put against me. And then I was falling through the air, plummeting over the edge of the platform that I had been standing upon. Headed for the water.

I screamed loudly as I fell, reminding myself just what had happened the last time I fell in water. My arms where stretched out, trying to find anything to grip onto to stop myself. Abruptly, I was engulfed in a freezing cold grasp, a shot of water driving up into my nose, causing me to cough out. Just like before, my arms and legs flailed without a thought only bringing me up once above the surface this time, and then I was being pulled down into the icy depths.

I opened my eyes against the sting of the water, my thrashing limbs numbing almost immediately in the cold water, dulling down with my senses. The light shimmering off of the surface was fading into darkness, and I could feel myself slipping even farther down. The sound...there was none besides my beating heart and the sound of bubbling waters. My eyes closed slowly as I thought to myself, _you're going to die_. The numbness completely overrode me, swallowing me whole, and I laid limp in it's clutches, sinking further and further.

A light shone against my eye lid, causing my brow to furrow. I slowly opened my eyes up, gazing up at what I thought for sure would be the last sight of my life. But the water I looked up into was suddenly clearer, more crisp and cool. I could see the sun patterning itself upon the surface of the water that was suddenly so much closer to I. And in the bright shimmers, there appeared a dark figure, a limb reaching out towards me. I couldn't see enough detail to recognize the face, to assess the hand that breached through the light for me. How familiar this shadow was! I had sworn that I had seen it before, reaching down to me in a dark abyss. Power surged through me and I reached up towards the hand, spreading my fingers out to be able to touch the skin sooner. And when I did, I heard a dark and deep voice brush against my ear.

**_"Raana."_**

I gasped and sat up quickly, coughing vigorously before finding myself on the side of the canal on the stone cobble way, clinging onto Ugo who was just as soaked as I was.

"_Mio Dio_," he gasped, his hand spread along my back. "I thought you had surely kicked the bucket on me there for a moment. Did you know you stopped breathing for a second."

I coughed again, putting my hand to my chest. "Well, you know it's kind of hard to breath when you have water in your lungs!"

Ugo helped me stand up. "What are you doing on a floating city if you can't even swim?" he criticized, making a move to wring out his clothes on the stone path. I ignored him, coughing again to try and catch my breath, shaking out my wet clothes. It was strange to think that the last time I had such an encounter, I had been so scared to embrace death. What made it different this time? Why wasn't I scared this time? It was because that was no death figure. I had been saved before I had even gotten into trouble. That dark figure...where had I seen it before? I couldn't even afford to thank Ugo for saving my ass—nor think about the figure either—for Rosa's screams where slicing through the air from the large entry way. The young thief immediately ran into the entrance, not even giving me a second glance.

I found that not only did the shadowed hand from my odd vision fish me out of the water, it had also pulled me out of my numbness. I remembered my wonder, my disbelief, my sympathy, my curiosity. I remembered my anger. My concern. It all flooded back to me just as the waters a second ago had. I followed slowly after Ugo, making up way through the large docking room and up into a small room where I found Ezio, Ugo, two other young thieves and another more mature looking man hovering over a table that had a balking Rosa upon it.

Ezio was holding a cloth to Rosa's leg tightly, and the older looking mas giving quiet orders to everyone around the table. He was very calm despite the situation. "I need you to take her inside to Bianca," the man said to the other two thieves I didn't know. He reached out to Rosa, taking a hold of her arm. "Be brave, Rosa. It's almost all over now."

She slapped his hand away, trying to sit up among the table top, of which was being pulled up by the two thieves being taken inside. "You can shove your words up your ass, _asino_!" Rosa spat in fiery anger. "I hope you and your whore mother die from the plague!" I was shocked that Rosa would tell such a seemingly kind man that, but he didn't seem all that effected by her words, silently watching her as she was carried further inside the building.

The man turned to me then, gazing at me with a smile. "Ah, Narina, you're soaking wet! Now isn't the time to be taking a dip!" I let my gaze narrow at him, for I felt as though he was making fun of me, like he knew that I couldn't swim.

"I didn't get you name," I mumbled, folding my arms and staring at him. "It kind of pisses me off that everyone seems to know my name and I still don't know anyone else."

He smiled wider, lifting a hand out to me, beckoning me to approach him. As I did, he took my hand into his and raised it to his lips. "It is a shame that all the beautiful woman who enter this place posses a sharp tongue." He smiled up at me before straightening. "I'm Antonio."

I dropped my hand, not even slightly effected by the mans trying charms. "It's a pleasure," I said curtly.

Antonio seemed almost shocked that I didn't even grin back at his sweet voice. But instead of bewilderment overshadowing his face, he smiled softly and said "I forget that you have stayed with Ezio all these years." Before I could respond, Antonio turned back to Ezio. "Again, I must thank you Ezio for helping Rosa. She's most dear to me, although it seems otherwise." I wanted to smile at that, but I held it back. "I was afraid for if she were to have died today, the last thing I would have had from her are memories and a few unkind words she exclaims around her.

Ugo had sudden entered the room (I hadn't even realized he left) and handed me a blanket so that I could wrap myself with it to mop up the rest of the water on me and to ward of the chill of the Venice air. To only have memories of someone to remember them by...it's the way most people do it, but is it really satisfying? Although I now knew that I was very upset with Ezio and the whole Rosa thing, I was glad as well that she didn't die. I finally acknowledged that my finger were pressed against my collar bone, as if searching for something...

"The necklace!" I exclaimed loudly, both hands flying to my chest, dropping the blanket. Panic flooded through me as I desperately tried to find the chain that had hung around my neck. A flash of the seas choppy waters flew to my mind, a shimmer of red beyond the reach of the surface. Absolute horror and disbelief flooded through me. "No!" I squeaked, my knees wobbling under me. "No, no, no, no!"

"What's wrong?" Antonio asked, his attention back to me.

"The necklace!" I repeated breathlessly. "Federico's necklace!"

How could I be so stupid? To throw aside something so precious on a cursed whim because of Ezio! The tears stung at my eyes, threatening to pour. It was strange to thing that it had upset me so, like the necklace held all of my memories within it...

"In the water?" Ugo looked back at the door. "Well, it's gone now." I was shaking my head slowly, my finger pressed harder into my collar bone as if I was expecting to find it embedded in my skin somewhere.

Ezio moved aside a bit, gazing to the far wall away from me. "That's too bad," he mumbled, his voice cold.

My horror turned towards Ezio now, and I was at a loss of how he could be so uncaring. And then my numbing disbelief boiled into anger, and I felt it clear on my face. I shoved away both Antonio and Ugo's suddenly restraining hold, striding up to Ezio's turned back with my fists clenched.

"Ezio-!" Antonio started to warn, but it was too late. Ezio had turned to answer Antonio's voice and instead received a punch to his face, my knuckles twisting violently against his nose. He was knocked back a few feet, his hand automatically bridging over the front of his face. At first I thought that it was just my anger that blurred my vision, but the sudden loss of breath told me that I was crying. "You're such a fucking jackass!" I screamed at him.

Ezio recovered from the blow, gazing at his hand to check for blood. Then he snapped a nasty glare up to me. "_Mio Dio_, Narina, it's just a necklace!"

I had reached the ultimate fury. The silent stage. I fell quiet, my face fell into composition. Although my fists unclenched, my limbs quivered ever so lightly.

"I wasn't talking about the necklace," I whispered darkly, however giving no emphasize on any of the words. Then, I turned on my heel and exited the building through the way I had came, intent of finding Leonardo's new workshop to ask him when the next boat to Forli was due.

_I just want to go home._

* * *

**So, since this was for a birthday, I had to rush to get it done—so the chapter MIGHT have suffered a little bit...but I really did try to make it as good as I could!  
****I love you SporkedGamer! :3 Happy birthday dear.  
****So, this chapter is boring yes—but it holds many important points. Like...the drowning part...keep that part in mind. :3  
****FINALLY to Venice! Expect the next few chapters to be shorter because I'm really excited to get to the sex parts in this story! :D  
****Thanks for reading! :3 And Review!**


	18. Two Week Reunion

**-I realized that a lot of Linkin Park's songs remind me a lot of what I have planned for this chapter. (Well, at least the Hybrid Theory album...)  
****-This is a bit early to be saying this, but... go listen to 'Now We Are Free' from the Gladiator soundtrack, and you'll get a taste of how I want my final chapter to feel like.  
****-Ah, how much this chapter changed as it went along! :D The joy of writing! :3**

**Thanks for Reviewing!:  
****SporkedGamer  
****ZetaAdele  
****Dragon's-Maidens  
****SafetyPinStitches  
****DeathDragon130  
****EzioAuditorefan  
****lightan117  
****Acro111  
****Kagekitsonegal  
****Phoenixlivesagain  
****Killer-Chan  
****Katalystic13  
****napanapa  
****LullabyForYou**

* * *

**(Angie is going to kill me for this one. XD)**

_Calm your nerves, and now,  
__and don't worry.  
__Just breath...  
__Now, take my hand and we will run away,  
__down to this place that I know.  
__How did this night become the enemy?  
__It's over, it's over, it's over.  
__Now lay down with me,  
__and let me hold you.  
__Baby, just breath.  
__This is ending.  
__We will get through eventually._

_-_The Cab, "Take My Hand"

* * *

**Chapter 17: Two Week Reunion**

The Venice streets were much bigger than anything that I had experienced—besides Rome, which was plenty bigger than Venice, but I had had Ezio when we went to Rome. I was all on my own here. Not that my usual judgment wasn't enough, but my anger and tears made it hard for me to really concentrate. So, it was only common sense that I became utterly lost in a matter of a few minutes from leaving the thieves home. My body shook from the coldness of the air against my still damp body, tickling into my wet hair and soaked clothes. Apparently, distressed and crying women were a common thing on Venice streets, for no one even paid me any mind. Through my furious haze, I knew that I should have just went back the way we had came, but then again, I had been in such a daze before I couldn't remember anything from the trip over, and what I did remember wouldn't be of any help to me. (All I could remember is Rosa in Ezio's arms, holding herself to him.)

After so long, I finally gave up, having come to the conclusion that I was circling around in a wide circle, not really getting anywhere. Sitting on a crate to the side of a building, I placed my elbows upon my knees and then buried my face into my palms, letting my shoulders shake as sobs of frustration shook my body. And even then, the hatred and pain faded into sadness and remorse. However sudden and strange, an odd adjustment, I started to cry because I was starting to feel myself fall farther away from my assassin...no, not just the assassin, but my best friend.

It was only a kiss...so, how did it end like this?

There was a nudge to the top of my skull, like a probing finger testing to see if I was still alive. Before I looked up, I wiped at my eyes quickly. Ugo stood over me, staring down at me with not his usually sharp and cunning eyes, but soft and somewhat caring. But he could afford to lift a sarcastic eyebrow at me.

"Lost?" He whispered.

I tried my hardest to smile—I really tried. But instead, a pathetic sob pushed through my lips and more tears dripped down my cheeks. Ugo obviously wasn't one to take crap or even to deal with other persons problems. He stooped over and took a hold of my wrist, holding me up so that I could stand. "Stop blubbering and let's go. You won't fix anything by crying." Not waiting for my answer, the young thief started to tug me down the streets. With my free hand, I used my wrist to wipe at my face again, muttering out 'sorry's' and 'I know's'. The tears had stopped flowing, and I silently followed Ugo through the streets. I panicked for a second when I considered that Ugo could have been taking me back to the thieves building, but my hysteria died down when I saw the tall building that I knew to be Leonardo's shop.

Ugo led me to the door. "Your destination, right?"

I nodded slowly, looking up at the building. "How did you know I wanted to come here?"

"Ezio tipped me off." I looked to the large door that led to the inside of the workshop, feeling another wave of disappointed wash though me. At least Ezio knew my brain better than anyone else. Before I went into the shop, Ugo tapped me on the shoulder lightly with his fist and said, "At least that was a good punch you gave him. Nice, solid follow through. There was blood everywhere in a few minutes."

I finally was able to smile up at the young man. "I didn't train two years with an asshole assassin for nothing. The real funny thing about it is that Ezio was the one to teach me how to punch like that." With two knocks on the wooden door, I left Ugo standing outside the shop, giving him a small 'thank you' before I closed the shop door behind me.

* * *

It took me two whole weeks to get over how large Leonardo's new shop was compared to his older one. I indeed had to help him unpack and put everything away, but there was so much room that by the time we were done, everything was still spic and span. Leonardo reveled in it—he absolutely loved the new space, although we both knew deep inside ourselves that Leonardo would clutter it up more sooner than later.

For some odd reason, Ugo was at my side every day since the arrival. He'd show up little bit before noon and would show me around the city more before leaving back to the Guild when the sun started to sink. It was odd for one reason—I could tell that Ugo didn't like anyone that much, so I was at a loss as to why he insisted on sticking around with me. When I spoke to Leonardo about it one night, the painter said, "Perhaps Ezio is having him look after you since you two are having a childish squabble.'. Although I didn't appreciate Leonardo's response that much, I was gaining a good relationship with Ugo no matter the situation. It wouldn't be a long time until I realized just why I had come to accept his bad attitude to readily.

Those two whole weeks, I never saw Ezio once. Whenever I managed to get into the Thieves place, Ugo would rush me out too quickly for me to get a good look around. Antonio caught me once before Ugo could, but instead of rushing me out, Antonio invited me inside the building the thieves lived in. We only visited for a brief moment before Rosa walked in on crutches, holding her wrapped leg up a bit so she wouldn't walk upon it. I was glad to see that she was getting better, and I had smiled sweetly at her. She surprised me with an just as equally sweet and innocent smile at me before she hobbled out of the building. When she was walking out, Ugo happened to walk in, and before Antonio could even say goodbye, the young thief had seized my arm and towed me outside.

Ugo attempted to teach me how to swim on account of how "absurd" it was that I couldn't swim, although it didn't turn out very well. We usually ended up pissed at each other and giving up halfway through the lesson. I had heard from him that Ezio had learned how to climb buildings even better now, able to jump up the wall like I had seen Rosa do.

"Well, teach _me_," I asked him.

Ugo smiled and said, "I'm no the one to teach you. Ask him yourself."

I scoffed loudly. "I'd more sooner eat dirty snails and rats than talk to him."

"You're over exaggerating." Ugo moved and stood from the ledge we were both sitting upon, letting our feet dangle down just above the water, standing to face the morning sun. "Don't even try to lie—I've heard you say that it's weird to not talk with him. You haven't been apart for years you realize."

I frowned at Ugo. "How did you know that?" I certainly had never told him.

"You forget that I go back to the base and talk with him." Ugo suddenly smirked evilly and laughed. "I hope you know that I've relayed all of your 'unspoken' messages to him."

In horror, I gazed up at Ugo in bewilderment. "No!" I squeaked, standing from the ledge as well. "You didn't!" In actuality, I had given Ugo more descriptions of how much I hated Ezio in the past weeks, telling Ugo was I supposedly wanted to say to the Assassin, but I didn't actually think Ugo would tell him!

Ugo laughed again , tossing his head about a bit to shake off the few water droplets that were still in his hair from our swimming lesson. "I didn't. Calm down." He pointed at me, smirking broadly. "But know that I could have and will at any time."

Pouting at him, I bent over to put my boots back over my feet, not bothering to wipe the water streams that swirled around my heels. When I had my shoes on, Ugo began to lead down the cobblestone path, and I knew he wanted me to follow.

"Hey," I mused quietly, recognizing the street we walked upon, heading back to the workshop. Ugo acknowledged me with a short sideways glance. "Has Ezio said anything about me?"

I never got an answer. Just a stupid smile. There was moment just as such that I decided that Ugo was more stubborn than any one I had known. But something within me embraced his company, like I was happy just to have someone so criticizing in my life. He reminded me of some thing, although I knew not what is was...or whom.

When we were back at Leonardo's Ugo turned to me. "But I'm serious," he started again, "if you want to learn how to climb buildings efficiently, go talk to Ezio. I've heard enough from him and I know he'd be willing enough to teach you."

"_Ehi_, what do you mean 'I've heard enough from him'?" I asked, ignoring his words for the time being. Completely ignoring me, Ugo turned on his heel and walked away, disappearing in the _Venezia_ crowd. I frowned. _Douche bag._

* * *

Leonardo asked of my help for the rest of the morning, making me move around some object in the shop. I finally came to the conclusion that I'd rather deal with Ezio than slave away at Leonardo's place. It was probably about mid noon that I decided to head out for the thieves Guild. Ugo had shown me the way enough times so that I could go on my own if needed. He tired of babysitting me all the time, and it was evident.

Even though I had claimed to be tired of Ezio, I really did want to see him again—Ugo had been right about it being weird not to see the assassin everyday. For as long as I could remember, Ezio had been there for me. Quite literally, too. Just to see that he was doing fine would suffice...but a little part of me wanted to see him torn down as if he had been wishing to see me too. I didn't want to be the only one who was weak in their will to fight.

The sun was so high in the sky, seeming to hang motionless at the apex of the sky, glaring down upon the top of my head, warming me sufficiently. The clear skies and burning sun ensured that it was to be a very hot summer. Venice lit up in the brighter days—not only from the sunlight that was spread along the lines of the buildings, but also from the shimmering waters that inked through the city. It was a surreal effect that I loved to gaze upon, the striking shimmers upon the dark stones of the buildings. I loved that the thieves guild resided so close to the water. I could walk along the edge of the land on my way to, staring out at the vast sea in wonderment, idly imagining just what other lands were placed beyond the waters, beyond my sight. I was going to admit, Venice wasn't the greatest smelling place in Italy. Sure, beautiful, but every beauty has a flaw and stench was this pearls chink. Due to the lack of growing area on the island city, and also to the vast population that lived in the homes, human wastes, animal waste...ANY waste was thrown aside into corners, into the water. It was enough to want to revolt against the smell.

I walked into the building's courtyard, nonchalantly rubbing at my nose. There were a few thieves leaning against the far wall, only paying me a small glance before continuing talking to each other. It wasn't just Antonio, Ugo, and Rosa who seemed to know everything about me. EVERY thief in the damned building knew exactly what my favorite thing to eat for breakfast was, I swear! Before Ugo found me and would usher me away out of the guild (he never seemed to like me being there very much), I knocked on the door that Antonio had led me to a few days before. Politely waiting until I heard a 'come in', I opened the door and pushed into the room.

It wasn't Antonio who answered to my knock, but another young thief who just regarded me quietly. "Um," I mumbled, point my thumb to another door across the room. "Is Antonio here?" The thief nodded briefly, flicking his head towards a small archway on the other side of the room before going back to polishing off a small knife he had in his hand. I gingerly made my way through the arch, led into another cluttered room with a desk piled with books and falling documents. Antonio was at the desk, staring down upon a parchment before he looked up to see me.

He smiled and stood straight. "Narina. So good to see you again."

I nodded and smiled back at him, allowing the man to walk up to me and give me a soft embrace. It was strange how much trust this man held from me and I hadn't even known him for very long. I had put the pieces together in my head earlier in the week and realized that this man was a part of the Assassin's Brotherhood, the Creed, as well. He knew of Giovanni, Mario, Paola, and La Volpe and spoke very fondly of them. It was as if they were truly siblings, and I smiled at the thought that they all risked each others lives to keep it as so.

"It's very good to see you too, Antonio."

We made small talk about the climbing hot weather, a bit about Leonardo and his work before he asked what I had came to him for.

" I'm looking for Ezio," I said evenly, trying not to give away my inner feelings. "He needs to teach me how to climb."

Antonio gave me a long, studied stare before gesturing up to the ceiling. "He's sleeping."

I felt my face fall into an embarrassing stupor, then I glanced out to the window to my right. "But...but it's noon! What's he still doing asleep?"

Antonio moved back behind his desk, looking over the paper he was studying before. "I had him run a few errands for me last night—free some of my men from imprisonment so that we may strike even sooner. It took him most of the night."

A moment a panic washed over me as I realized that Ezio was still moving forward in his journey despite me not being there. Was I really so insignificant in this whole thing? I lowered my eyes down to my feet after staring up at the window. "But..." I whispered. "He usually can't sleep with the sun against his eyes." It was true—I had known that to wake Ezio up was to open up the curtains in the room and that would wake him right up.

Antonio pulled out a quill and ink cap, writing out something on the paper. "He chose to sleep in the center room upstairs—the room that has no windows." The thief leader chuckled lightly, dipping the quill again. "Funny how he told us he chose it for his own safety against patrolling guards upon the rooftops when it was really because the sun irritates his sleep."

I didn't find the humor in it, but I let Antonio laugh lightly before I asked, "So, where's this middle room? I'm going to go try to wake him up."

With brief instructions of 'up the stairs, take a right, first door on the left', I made my way up the stairs back in the other room, the young thief still there cleaning his blade, this time not even sparing me a small glance. Up the noisy and creaking stairs, I took a right down a short hall that ended with a window down at the end wall. The first door on the left was actually the _only_ door on the left, and I got the feeling that Antonio was making fun of me only moments before. I considered knocking on the door to be polite...but then I remembered that it was Ezio I was dealing with, so I just shrugged it off and walked immediately into the room.

Bad idea. It was pitch. Black.

Blinking rapidly as if to intensify my night vision, and with the help from the light that poured from the hallway, I realized that I was looking upon the edge of a bed with dark covers. I considered my options, which were: 1. Flail aimlessly into the room and hope to crash into something to wake up Ezio. 2. Go find something to light up the room. 3. Just forget about everything and go back to Leonardo's. I didn't like the first option very much—a sex crazed man in a dark room wasn't ideal...at least, I didn't think it was...I shook my head. _Now wasn't the time to think of such things! _What was I thinking? NEVER was a good time to think of such things! Feeling my cheeks warm slightly, I decided that I didn't want to give up so easily either, and I walked out of the room, intent on finding a candle or something. The hall that I was standing in had a candle in a holder upon the wall, but it wasn't lit. Being so short, I had to jump a few times in order to actually get a hold of the candle. When I had it in my grasp, candle dish and all, I remembered that Antonio had a lit candle on his desk downstairs and I went back down to the lower level. The thief and his blade were gone now, and I walked into the archway to confront Antonio. The man wasn't in the room anymore, but Rosa was, hunched over on her crutch. She looked up at me quietly, and I realized that it was a stand off almost, like we were battling for something. So it surprised me when she backed down and smiled softly at me. "Yes, Narina?"

I looked around the room after giving her a small glance. "Um...where is Antonio?"

Rosa raised a brow at me. "Are you looking for him?" Before I could answer properly, Rosa raised a hand to her mouth and yelled out "ANTONIO! Narina is looking for you!"

"No!" I waved the candle in the air, gesturing to the lit candle. "No, I just need a flame or something." I helped myself to the candle, lighting the one in my hands while Rosa watched me silently.

"Why do you need a candle in the first place?"

I turned towards the archway again, holding the now lit candle delicately. "Ezio's room is really dark," I explained. "I'm going to go wake him up."

Rosa frowned at me. "I thought you two were fighting?"

I paused in the doorway, hesitated, and then turned back to glare at Rosa. "I didn't know it was any of your business."

"Ezio's told me all about it," Rosa said smugly, smirking at me. "He's told me a lot of things."

It took some effort, but I got a sickly smile upon my face. "I'm sorry that your thighs had to deal with those lips of his. Excuse me." I stiffly turned back out the door and made my way to the stairs in the other room.

"Narina." I stopped and spared Rosa one last look. She was leaning against her crutch, smiling softly and somewhat legitimately at me. "Ezio hasn't even touched me. He hasn't even attempted to. I don't think that he even plans to. You don't have to get upset over something that hasn't happened."

My initial reaction was to glare even harder at the girl, but I had a strong and odd feeling that told me that she was telling the honest truth. Without a response, I continued up the stairs, not liking the way Rosa smirked so knowingly at me.

The candle helped out immensely in the dark room. I couldn't help but smile when I saw how cluttered the room was. It was strange to consider the fact that Ezio never spent much time in his resting spots, but they still became cluttered with odd clothes, weapons, papers and vials full of medicine. His assassin robes were laid out upon the desk in the corner and his swords and other weapons were on top of the robes, or leaning up against the side of the desk.

Moving the candle to the spot where the bed was barely exposed by the light flooding through the door, I froze for a moment when the candle dimly lit up Ezio's face. An overwhelming force crashed against me as I realized just how much I had missed his strong, broad face, his wide, scarred lips parted in sleep, his loose hair laying along his broad neck and his even, low breaths.

After placing the candle on the small bed side table, I collapsed at the side of the bed, folding my arms upon the blankets, cradling my head against my arms. I forgot all of my irritation at him for a moment. "Hey Ezio," I whispered gently.

There was no response (I didn't expect one from his sleeping form), and I stayed for a long moment just quietly watching him. I almost felt tears in my eyes as I studied my best friends face. I wasn't even sure how I had gone two weeks without gazing upon Ezio's face. I felt so full of emotions and raw feelings all of a sudden—if I were to compare myself days ago to myself now...I would have said that I had been feeling empty, walking around without a real purpose. I remembered what Rosa had said about Ezio never even attempting to touch her, and I snorted and laughed lightly. "Am I stupid to believe in that?" I laughed again. "Ah, who am I kidding? You've probably just slept around with other girls besides Rosa." My smile faded and I sighed. "I know that very well now..." I fell silent then, staring once again at Ezio's sleeping form, no longer wanting to wake him up and no longer wishing to learn the wall jump he had learned.

Many minutes passed before I sighed and stood from the edge of the bedside. In conclusion, I decided to let Ezio sleep, let him catch up on his 'Z's'. Taking a hold of the candle dish, I started to leave the room.

"Narina." I paused, then quickly looked behind me, waving the candle light above Ezio's figure again. Was he sleep talking? About me? I turned towards the bed fully again, gazing down upon the sleeping man. His eyes were still closed and his breaths were still even, but his face, overall, seemed more gentle in a complex way. "Narina..." he mumbled again, fading off.

For a moment, I thought for sure that he was awake, but a small, quiet snore reassured me otherwise. Oddly enough, I was flattered at his dream powered mumbles and I smiled lightly to myself. Perhaps I had judged Ezio's intentions too harshly. I had always known somewhere deep inside of me that Ezio did have a care about me, although it seemed otherwise. I'd have to talk with him sometime soon—tell him that I wasn't really mad anymore. I guessed that Leonardo would still need help back at the shop and I would take another day to come back and talk with the young man—perhaps the next day even. Closing the door softly behind me as I left the room, I smiled softly to myself as I regarded the sleeping and mumbling assassin in the room beyond the door. Then I walked downstairs, feeling content for the first time in a long while.

* * *

My goal for the next day morphed from talking to Ezio to finding Ugo in the early morning hours. I had awoken early from my bed that Leonardo let me sleep in, and I had climbed out my window and up the tall shop, sitting upon the roof top to stare at the rising sun. It was spectacular, and I wanted a tour of Venice from the rooftops. It seemed like a totally different city from the high vantage point.

However, when I arrived to the Guild, Rosa stopped me before I could walk into the building and told me that neither Ugo nor Ezio were in at the moment—both of them training out the members that had been captured and turned frail in the cells the city had locked them in.

Rosa grudgingly kick at the crutch she leaned upon. "If it wasn't for this damned wound, I would be out with them."

I smiled lightly at her, and even laughed softly. "You have to heal up before you try this all over again."

"I know." Rosa grunted again, but gave me a soft smile. "You know, if you go about the city, you'll run into either of the boys. I think they're close to here in the first place, so it won't be too vast of an area to search."

I was almost surprised by her kindness, but I didn't allow it to really show. "Alright. I'll go look around for a bit. _Grazie_, Rosa."

Rosa gave me a slight nod and then I left the building, scaling up the guilds wall quickly just right out the entrance. Upon the roofs, I lifted a hand to my brow to block out the bright, morning sunlight, and I smiled lightly to myself. It was going to be a very good day—I could tell. Before I started to run across the rooftops, I took off my boots and rolled up my sleeves and pant legs. Since it was such a nice day, I might as well enjoy it thoroughly. Tucking the boots up under my arms, I began to walk among the rooftops, jumping across the breaks between them and scaling structures if needed. But finding Ugo and Ezio wasn't exactly an easy task, as Rosa had implied. Venice had oh so many corners and crevices, such buildings that differed in sizes and shapes. I was at a loss as to where to even _begin _where to look.

I'm guessing a few hours went by while I wandered around, and even then I hardly payed any attention in my search. Maybe, perhaps, if I had been more aware of my surroundings, I would have found Ezio or Ugo, but alas, I was just a simple girl curiously gazing at Venice from the high roofs. After a while, I my feet grew sore from stepping bare amongst the rough roofs, and I sat at the edge of a higher building, trying to hide from patrolling guards from lower roofs by hiding behind a large, stone structure on top of the roof, facing out towards the vast sea. Sighing contentedly, I leaned back upon my hands and kicked my bare feet happily in the air over the edge. It was wonderful to be free, to not have to worry about a ruling hand over you, to be able to find a spot as such where it seemed no worries would bother the calm air.

And then, of course, there was a disturbance. It was a guard's yell, exclaiming loudly in shouts of pursuing someone. The shouts became closer and louder, and I stood from the edge of the roof and made my way to look around the large stone structure to see what the big deal was. Not only did a gust of wind push against my face as I looked around the corner, but I was literally taken down, sent flying to the ground with something heavy landing upon me, knocking the breath out of me and disallowing me to breath once again. My head whacked against the stone roof too, and my brain was sent into a jumble. As the stars and suddenly confusion cleared from my eyes, the weight upon me shifted and then was quickly gone. I looked up while propping myself on my elbows. A hooded, strong figure stood above me, and I felt myself almost laugh out loud for a really odd reason.

"_Santa merda_," Ezio huffed, clearly out of breath. It was the last straw—I broke out in giggles despite how much my pounding head rebelled against doing so. Ezio, however, didn't see the humor in the situation (and I truly didn't understand what humor I saw either). Instead of laughing with me, he stooped down and took a hold of my arm, dragging me up to my feet before tugging me along the rooftops. The giggles left as soon as they had came, and I understood that we were being chased by a few guards when I threw a few looks back over my shoulder.

"_Mio Dio_," I exclaimed up to Ezio in huffs. "What the hell did you do, Ezio?" My smart ass tone was on in full blast, and I knew that he could hear it. Instead of answering, He only threw me a really, really odd and unsuspecting look of surprise. I felt my face twist up into confusion to respond, but he looked away and pulled me suddenly to the right, making us fall into a roof garden, my legs hitting the edge and causing me to fall sharply on my face. I was surprised that Ezio could keep from laughing at me as I sat up, sputtering out the dust that had clung to my lips.

I threw him a sharp look, but he didn't even notice before he took a hold of my arm again and pulled me close to him, pressing his stiff body up against the edge of the gardens walls, his labored breaths carefully contained in his mighty chest. Being tucked under his arm, I could see up his hood, noticing the sweat dripping down his face, the way his eyes shifted in a stealthy fashion. The more I noticed, the more I found myself turning into him to bury my face into his warm and sweaty clothes and finding the smell that I had come to love so dearly through the years, the more I found my fingers gripping onto the fabric, the more I found myself wanting to suddenly cry.

I realized that I had missed Ezio. A lot.

We didn't move for a while, after his hands had settled upon my hair and my back. The only sound was my pulsing heart in my ears and also the heaving guards rushing past the garden cover, yelling out that the assassin had gone missing. Although their voices and footsteps faded away, I only relaxed once I had felt Ezio grow less tense under my touch and the heavy breath he had been holding inside was left free through his lips. I then pushed away from his warmth and sat up straight, sitting between his propped up legs, pursing my lips slightly.

"How _stupido_ are guards these days? I mean, seriously—when they're chasing someone on the rooftops and they suddenly disappear, you would only assume that they're hiding in the covered roof gardens." I scoffed. "Yet, they always seem to neglect to look!" I gave Ezio a roll of the eyes and shook my head. "People these days, I swear."

My face fell into another confused stupor as I realized that Ezio's facial expression hadn't even changed the entire time I had been talking to him. His eyes were carefully measured, and his brows were furrowed in his own confusion, a small frown gracing his lips. I felt my head tilt slightly. "Are you okay?"

I was surprised when his face suddenly crumpled and even more so when his arms were suddenly around me again, pulling me into his broad and strong chest, even his legs pressing against me as if he were afraid that I would try to pull away. Tucking my head under his chin, he pushed his face into my hair, burying his fingers in the dark strands while the other hand pressed in-between my shoulder blades. I had forgotten how warm he was and how much his embrace comforted me. Without really thinking, as if out of habit, I reached up and tugged at the back of Ezio's hood to pull it down from around his face. He shifted me in his hold so that his chin was pressed against my forehead, allowing me to realize that he had neglected to shave in a few days, his rough beard pressing against my skin.

He let out another deep breath. "_Sono così contento che lei mi parla di nuovo,_ (I am so glad that you are talking to me again,)" he murmured softly, holding me to him even tighter for a moment. Of course I hadn't been the only one to have been suffering so much the past two weeks—it had been foolish for me to think that I had been the only one that had been hurting so much. The only thing that I was disappointed in now was the fact that I had been the one to give in first. I didn't say anything back to him, but allowed my hands to brace themselves against the back of his neck while I buried my face into his collarbone. As if time froze, we stayed like that for a good moment, breathing in each others presences softly. As the moment passed, so didn't our previous anger between each other, melting away from the warmth of reunion.

Then all too soon, he pushed me away again, causing me to drop my hands to his broad chest and to stare into his honey brown eyes. He was smiling, and his eyes had melted with a mixture of warmth and happiness. "You know," he stated, lifting one hand (which were both resting at my waist) to touch his chin, "you really hurt me with that punch."

I felt the smile spread across my face, and I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Well, you shouldn't have taught it to me, should you have?" We both laughed together for a moment, and I reveled in the sound of it.

Still chuckling, Ezio jutted out his chin. "Kiss it better?"

Shaking my head but smiling, and pushed at Ezio's chin and stood up from his hold, brushing myself off. "Save your charms for another moment." I offered him my hand. "I want you to teach me how to climb buildings, if you're not too busy, that is."

Taking a hold of my hand, I helped pull him up so that he was standing, _towering_ over me. I had also forgotten how tall Ezio was compared to me. "You mean the jumping up the wall trick?" he asked, squeezing my hand lightly before letting it go.

I nodded. "_Si_."

He pulled a thinking face, stroking at his chin again, putting his left hand on his hip. I gave him a small exasperated look, telling him that I wasn't kidding what-so-ever. "Okay," he finally said, "I have a proposition. If I teach you how to climb—"he pushed his face down into mine, making me lightly lean away from him "–then you have to kiss your punch better. Deal?"

Giving him an odd look with a weird smile, I questioned him with my gaze if he was being serious. When he responded with a smile and a raised brow, I felt myself laughing lightly under my breath. With a small pause, I brushed the hair from around my face and looked up into Ezio's face, smirking smugly. "Fine. You've got yourself a deal."

* * *

**Ah.  
****This chapter was, at first, TOTALLY different in my mind. But with a little consulting with Dragon's-Maidens, I came to the conclusion to change it into this. :3 So thanks again, my friend.  
****In my opinion, it would SUCK to be without your best-est friend in the entire world for two weeks. D: I couldn't stand it! I'd get so lonely!  
****There was supposed to be a kiss in this chapter...but, alas, I cut it short and I'm going to put it in the next chapter. :3  
OH! If you're trying to find out the plot in this story, take GOOD note of the friendship between her and Ugo (and who Ugo resembles...). Okay, that won't make sense unless you know. XD  
****Thanks, and review! :3**

**(ps. You guys are all able to love Ezio again. :3)**


	19. The Lesson of Undoubted Change

**-Quick update? Hell yeah. Short chapter? DOUBLE HELL YEAH!  
****-I'm not kidding. This chapter is really, really short. Deal with it.****Thanks for reviewing!:  
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* * *

_I've been waiting for my dreams to  
__turn into something I could believe in.  
__And looking for that magic rainbow,  
__on the horizon. I couldn't see it,  
__until I let go. Gave in to love.  
__Watched all the bitterness burn.  
__Now I'm coming alive, body and soul,  
__feeling my world start to turn...  
__Holding on to things that vanished  
__into the air, left me in pieces.  
__But now I'm rising from the ashes,  
__finding my wings and all that I needed  
__was there all along, within my reach.  
__As close as the beat of my heart._

_-_**David Cook, **_**'The Time of My Life'**_

* * *

**Chapter 18**: **The Lesson of Undoubted Change**

The sun climbed even higher when Ezio stopped in front of a tall building in an area that I hadn't been able to explore all too well. Ezio tilted his now hooded face up to the top of the building allowing his gaze to trail up the side of the building.

"_Bene_," he said slowly, "this building will do." I looked around the area, realizing that there were handfuls of people walking around.

"But, wait," I whispered to him, taking a hold of his sleeve before he could take off. "There's people around!"

Ezio gave me a blank look before smirking. "Venice is a much larger city than _Firenze _or Monteriggioni. The thieves openly climb buildings, anyway, so we won't draw too much attention."

I was more concerned about drawing a crowd due to the fact that I would most likely fail at this jumping thing. If there was one thing I hated, it was being watched and judged. I swallowed loudly, realizing just how tall the building was, but I nodded. "_Bene_. Let's do this."

Over the two week period of being tutored by the strict Ugo, learning from Ezio was a breeze. He would lend me a helping hand and make me smile when I felt like giving up. He'd do demonstrations for me (unlike Ugo, who said 'how the hell is watching me going to help you do it?'), and then go along the side of me as I went through the steps with him. I had to start in a crouched, hanging position, then use that extending power in my legs to launch myself up the wall, reaching for the ledge of destination. My problem was that my arms would flail when I'd jump and I'd miss the ledge entirely. It was a good thing that I would catch myself on a lower ledge instead of falling to the hard streets.

As it turned out, the summer like sun was not my friend as I had first thought in the day. My whole body seemed to be drenched in sweat and my hands were too slippery to get a proper hold of the edges. But even then, slowly, with the passing day, I got the hand of it and was soon confident enough to challenge a quick race to Ezio.

"My final test," I hummed to him, then pointed up the building. " A race to the top. Loser has to eat muddy slugs."

Ezio made a face, but he smiled shortly afterwords. "Deal."

I had no idea what I had just challenged. I had forgotten that Ezio was extremely competitive. It's a good thing that slugs didn't taste..._too_ bad.

As hard as I tried to keep up with the assassin climbing like a spider up the wall, I fell far behind, and when the time came to try out the leap and jump, I failed, falling down back to the lower level of the building. I peeved me when I looked up and saw Ezio smirking down at me, suggesting that he had known all along that I would trip somewhere along the way once my climbing skills were in actual need. God, he was a jerk sometimes! By the time I had pulled myself up to the top of the building, sweaty and panting, Ezio had enough stamina to reach down and help pull me up and onto my feet. Upon such a high building, a wave of vertigo washed over me and made me sway.

"Ooh," I mumbled, holding my head gingerly. "We're really up high. It's been a while since I've climbed such structures."

Why was it that we had to choose one of the very tallest buildings in Venice to learn how to climb? But even as I tried my best to clear my head, I could still enjoy the wondrous view, indeed wishing to gaze upon Venice from rooftops once again. From the height we were at, you could see the distance land of the rest of Italy, a dark contrast to the bright sky from the bright sunset. The few clouds that were strewn about the sky were golden in the suns rays, seeming to give off their own glow.

Ezio chuckled lightly at me, keeping a hand on my elbow to make sure that I wouldn't topple over the edge. " You have gotten a little rusty," he mused with a grin. I frowned at him and tried to pull away from his hold, but ended up swaying again, causing Ezio to reach out and take a hold of my other arm. He was suddenly holding me close, leaning his head down towards mine. His breath brushed into my face, making me shudder lightly.

He smiled. "You made a deal, Narina. I taught you how to climb." His chin jutted out at me and I felt a moment of panic when I tore away from his hold. I recovered nicely by the time he looked up to me, and I smiled slyly at him, taking a step back until I could feel my heel dipping down over the edge of the building.

"You taught me how to run, too," I mused sweetly, then dropped down over the edge, my hands gripping onto the top ledge as I smiled up at a bewildered Ezio. "Now, you'll have to catch me." I took a good note that I was better at descending a building than Ezio was—that was something I had learned on my own, to use my light weight to my advantage. I could drop from a greater distance without it hurting so much than when Ezio dropped from the same height. And when I hit the ground, I started to sprint hard a fast. Another thing I had missed a lot: the stupid, childish games that Ezio was so willing to play with me. And, of course, Ezio always cheated. I was surprised to see that he was so quickly right behind me, smirking after me. When I saw that he had a few leaves stuck to his clothes, I threw him an accusing glare saying that it wasn't fair that he used the leap of faith to get down. But alas, I even cheated sometimes too, and I let his trick slip.

I'll admit, my destination was unknown even to me at first, and in all truths, I had even found myself lost for a moment. But then I recognized that buildings more and more gradually, and I soon found myself hauling ass to Leonardo's. What made this small chase of cat-and-mouse was that Ezio could have caught me if he really wanted to. He was always a faster runner than I was—it was in his blood. But he let me run just a little bit from his reach, close enough to hear my giggles but so far away that my flowing hair was just beyond his fingers touch.

When Leonardo's shop came into view, I turned to look over my shoulder and beckoned to Ezio again. "Come on, Ezio!" He only smirked at me softly not being tempered by my jibes. I guess I wasn't exactly sure where I was headed exactly, but once we approached the shop, I flung open the door and sprinted through the shop. I vaguely saw Leonardo look up from a painting he was working on and barely heard him say 'good to see you again, Ezio,' before I was out of the workshop area, heading down the quarters hall. Although filled with giddiness and giggles, they were soon interrupted by a strong hand on my arm, stopping me in my tracks and then pushing me to the nearby wall. The sudden motion set m y head a whirl, and when I figured out which way was up again, I realized that Ezio was the one pushing me against the wall, my frail wrists trapped by his mighty hands

Blushing at his close proximity, I struggled a bit in his hold, his once charming smirk turned into a foreboding grin. "_L'ho preso _(I caught you)," he whispered lightly, pressing his forehead to mine. His warm breath fanned out against my face, against my parted lips, which almost allowed me to taste him. "_Baciarmi _(Kiss me)." His voice was so soft, almost inaudible.

However, I wasn't going to give in just yet. I leaned away from him and pouted. "But I didn't punch you on the mouth—I almost broke your nose, remember?"

Ezio was the one to now pout. He stared down at me quietly for a moment before sighing and bowing his head down more, allowing his nose to drop closer to me and making his hood almost drape around my head. "Fine. You can kiss my nose." I smiled at the whiny tone in his voice, then inclined my head further to place a small peck against Ezio's nose. Even in the brief touching moment, there was a spark between us, and I felt it simmer in my veins.

When I pulled away, our eyes locked for a long moment, allowing all emotions to flood through and to be shown. And as I looked up into his warm eyes, I felt my arms raise up and my hands reach up into his hood to touch his strong face, to run my fingertips against his prickly jaw. Why was it that I couldn't be mad at such a man, his wonton side evident and his smirk impure! Why was it that I trusted him? He too reached up to touch my face, brushing the hair over that carelessly tumbled across my forehead. Even if I hadn't punched his mouth, I suddenly wanted to kiss his lips too. A thought ran through my head that maybe I should wail on them just so I could 'kiss it better', and I smiled at the thought, laughing under my breath lightly. Had I really come so far that I now wanted to be like the girls that would spend time with Ezio? As I got a hold of my bearings, pressing my lips together to stifle the giggles, Ezio placed his forehead to mine again, smiling with me. I could almost feel his lips. Almost...

"Ezio!" We both turned away from each other, dropping our hands and pushing at one another a little bit away. I felt a sudden resentment at Leonardo, who's voice was still ringing out. "Ugo is here for you! Says that you need to get back to work!"

I sighed, but smiled softly. Of course. "Right. I had forgotten that you had been training the thieves." Ezio opened his mouth to explain something, but I shook my head before he could say anything. "Look, duty comes before pleasure. Besides, Ugo's a very tough person to please."

Ezio smirked widely, opened his mouth, but then Ugo yelled out from the workshop, "Ezio! Get your ass up here now! You've had enough play time!"

"For God's sake, I'm coming!" Ezio yelled back, clearly more upset with Ugo at the moment. He turned back to me with his sly smile, reaching back up to my face with his fingers to touch my cheek. "What if my pleasure _is_ duty too?"

I tried my hardest to throw Ezio an accusing glare of saying that he was immature. But I ended up smiling lightly and laughing, shaking my head slowly. "You're such an idiot," I said, giving him an odd grin. "Now go on."

Ezio grinned and took a step away from me. "Fine, fine. If you insist that I leave, I will. And I thought you weren't mad at me anymore." He turned and started to walk down the hall way back to the shop area.

"Hey, I'm not mad at you," I called after him. I felt a smile grace my face when he turned to look back at me. "Not anymore, anyways."

His eyes filled with warmness and his smile grew softer and more endearing. "I'm glad to know. I really am, Narina. And I'm really sorry too."

Even though he could have been so full of shit right then, I felt a large weight upon my shoulders be lifted, and my heart thudded loudly with happiness. I looked down to the floor for a moment taking a deep breath for my new unburdened lungs, and then I looked back up to meet his deep and warm gaze. "Ezio," I whispered just loud enough for him to hear. "I really missed you, you know."

Ezio stared back at me quietly for a moment, his smile fading and his brow furrowed in thought. I was very surprised when Ezio turned completely back around and started to walk back to me. My own smile faded as I could sense the intensity in Ezio's stance, the emotions so deep in his eyes. He reached out for my face again, taking a hold of my head between his large hands, tilting it back so that I could look up into his face. My breath grew unsteady as it usually did when Ezio was so close to me, and my body shuddered involuntarily under his touch. I watched with wide eyes as he leaned down to me, and unlike Ezio's nature to be lewd and intense, his hold was gentle and his eyes were soft. His lips pressed lightly against my eyelid first, causing my eyes to shut lightly. Then with another tilt of my head, his lips pressed into mine, melding to the crevices. Ezio pushed another one onto my lips, taking my bottom lip into his. The strange thing about this kiss, compared to the others that Ezio had given me, was that there wasn't any...well, sexual tension behind it. Ezio broke the kiss lightly, pressing his forehead to mine yet again, holding my face lightly. "When I didn't see you for all those days, Narina, I figured out something. I realized that you're the only person I really trust enough to be there for me. Forever." There was another kiss pressed to my lips. "I missed you so much."

The feeling feel like a lead ball in my stomach, my heart feeling as though it was thumping away in my throat, my legs wobbling under the uncertainty. I recognized the feeling as the one that usually engulfed me so friendly before, but now it burdened my briefly free shoulders and made my stomach twist violently.

"Ezio!" Ugo yelled again, a threat evident in his voice.

Ezio groaned, and stood straight again, letting me face go. He must have muttered something about Ugo, but I was in too much of a sudden daze to even really pay attention. I could only focus on him again when his fingertip guided my chin up again, adjusting my gaze to his face. He was smiling softly again. "I'll come see you tonight before I go back to the guild. I shouldn't be much longer in training. Maybe I can take you around _Venezia_ in the moonlight."

I nodded slowly, not really comprehending what he was saying. He brushed a finger along my cheek with a grin upon his lips before he went back down the hall, never giving me another look.

And even then, I couldn't move. My body just shook lightly, my heart beating too fast for comfort, and my thoughts raced uncontrollably, so quick that I couldn't really grip onto anything. The lead ball that had dropped into my stomach became even heavier, and I fell to my knees under it's weight.

The realization hit me like a thousand bricks. "Oh...oh God..." The tears welled up in my eyes, and my shaking hands reached up to cover my face with my hands. Even though I knew why it was such a shock to me, I couldn't quite understand why it caused these heart-wrenching sobs to form within me. But even that was a lie—I knew exactly why. How could I have been so stupid, so blind not to realize?

I kept my sobs quiet, and yet, Leonardo still seemed to hear me. I heard his footfall before I saw him, and I looked up at him from my lounged position against the wall, tears streaming down my face, my fingers glistening with the tears. The concern was plain in his eyes, and he gave me a deep look.

"What's wrong?" he asked, crouching down in front of me so that he could look me in the eye.

When I tried to breath, a series of sobs racked through me, and Leonardo ended up pulling me into his embrace, rubbing his hand along my back to comfort me.

"Leonardo," I breathed between sobs. "I'm so stupid! I should know better...but...but..." I pushed away from the friendly painters hold, so that I could look him in the eye. "I...I love Ezio..." More tears fell from my eyes, causing me to let my fingers brush away the salty liquid from my cheeks. Another sob pushed through my lips and against my chest. "How could I be so stupid to love him!"

Leonardo stayed silent for a long moment, simply patting my back quietly. Then, after a deep sigh, he laughed softly.

"And you're just barely figuring this out?" Leonardo pulled me into his embrace. "Perhaps you are a little slow in the head."

I wasn't sure how long I sat there in Leonardo's hold, crying, but I remember that, once my nose was stuffy, my head pounded, and my tears were dried up, Leonardo helped me stand and to my bed, lying face-forward to the ceiling. He gave me a small smile and a short goodnight before walking out of the room. When he closed the door behind him, I shifted myself so that my face was buried into my familiar pillow, my heart, head, and whole body just pounding with such raw emotion. I felt like I wanted to scream, but I couldn't find enough energy to do so.

Ezio was a man-whore, a self-centered jackass, a arrogant bastard, a killer, an assassin!

And good God help me: I loved him.

* * *

**Short chapter? Hell yeah.  
****Lacked in epicness?: In my opinion, yes. (I most likely re-write this chapter—so don't get too upset please. D:)  
****Sorry. I was rushed. I WANT SEX NOW! :I (Okay, let's rephase that: I want Ezio and Narina to have sex NOW!) :3  
*headdesk* Be easy with me, please...I've been stressing out a lot lately, and due to some family issues, I might not be able to write as much as I'd like.**

**Please review! :3  
****And thanks.**


	20. Fighting for Frivolity

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-Okay! Back on freaking track here! :3 All the romance gushy stuff had to come in during Venice, but now *serious face* It's time to get back to business!  
**-...One chapter down...that many less until I get to SEXY TIME! :3  
****-:D I LOVE finding a new band to listen to! :3**

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**

_I'm ready to live. I'm ready to dream.  
__I'm ready for fear, love and everything between.  
__Don't tell me I'm right. Don't tell me I'm wrong.  
__Just tell me that I'm strong enough for one more song._

_-_**We Shot The Moon, 'Hope'**

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* * *

**

**Chapter 19: Fight for Frivolity**

Ezio didn't come back that night. I knew because, well, first of all, he never came, and I was sure about that because, second of all, I hadn't been able to sleep the entire night.

Sure, the intensity of my discovery had settled in, warming me to my core rather than holding me down with it's weight, but the burden never truly ceased. But I was getting by. Ezio had taught me that to be able to rise high, I'd have to adjust the weight so that I could do so. And even though he told me that for climbing buildings a long time ago, I knew that it was great advice for a situation just like this.

The night was long and my stomach flipped wondrously every time the word 'love' slipped through my mind, and when I found myself blushing when Ezio's face filtered to my mind along with the simple and yet so complex word, I would press my hands to my cheeks, telling myself that I had to calm down, that it wasn't a big deal, that Ezio was still the same Ezio he was years before.

Or...was he? When one person realized that they loved someone, I think that one person also realized every little thing about their object of admiration, things that the one person noticed before but had never acknowledged them. To be in love was to be determined, understanding, yet firm in beliefs. To be _in_ love with someone was totally different than just _loving_ something or someone. I understood that know, and there seemed to be enlightenment, like my eyes had been closed for so many long years, opened by the miraculous frivolity of love.

_Eyes closed for so long, only to be closed once again_. The words came to me, but I couldn't truly understand them. And I wouldn't for a very long time.

* * *

Leonardo brought me breakfast in bed when the sun (which I had watched rise from my propped position on the bed) peeked through the window and squared itself upon the floor. I could tell that my good friend could see that I had been sleepless the entire night on the forehand, and he kept his smile small and comforting as he watched me eat the bread, fruits and bits of other tasty things on the small plate Leonardo had created for me. When I was done, not one word had been spoken between us. I handed Leonardo the dish back, then, with a loud sigh, I fell back against my pillows, spreading my arms out to the side. I was completely exhausted, my limbs feeling heavy and droopy. I was so tired, but the butterflies in my stomach and the buzzing thoughts in my head made it impossible to get any sleep to my deprived body.

_"Grazie_," I mumbled lightly, pressing my eyes close to see if I could just get a few moments of sleep.

"You look tired," noted Leonardo, a smile in his voice. "So I take it you're too tired to help me out today, hm?"

"Oh God," I groaned, grabbing a pillow and covering my face. "I'm not working today!" I said into the pillow, hoping that Leonardo could understand what I had said. Apparently he did, for he laughed, and I heard his foot fall echo across the floor.

When I heard the twisting knob, I pushed the pillow away, and without any thought, said, "Leonardo, isn't love supposed to make you happy?" Happy like the young lovers I had seen along the streets? Happy like the birds that mated for life? Wasn't it supposed to make me happy just like it had done for Maria and Giovanni? I recalled that last time I had seen them together all those years ago, in the Auditore home, which was now just a big blur to me, smiling and holding each other so endearingly. I now knew that I had always wanted to find that sort of happiness somewhere deep inside of me from that moment.

"Well," Leo started, letting go of the door for a moment to turn to me fully. "Are you not happy?"

I looked away from his gaze and down to my hands which were upon the soft pillow, sinking lightly into the softness. "I...I just feel mostly confused," I admitted slowly.

Leonardo gave me another long look before he moved from the door and sat at the edge of the bed, smiling lightly at me. He sighed lightly, shook his head as if to clear his mind, then adjusted his focus back onto me. "Narina," he started, "you can't know love from another person's experience. You can't simply stand next to another and know how they feel, you can't even truly read how love is experienced. And even if the person tells you that they're happy, how does their love reflect on your own?" Leonardo reached out and took my hand into his, his smile even more caring and soft. "Narina, to figure it out, you have to go and experience it for yourself. _You_ must figure out what love is supposed to make you feel like."

While he had been talking, I had stared up at Leonardo in wonderment, processing his words thoroughly and slowly in my mind. When he was done talking, I was still going over his words, trying to find the true meaning hidden away underneath them. And as I considered just what Leonardo was meaning, I felt the heavy weight that had seemed to force the feelings down my throat dissipate, and I felt suddenly enlightened. Oh yes. And over exhausted.

I yawned loudly, taking my hand from Leonardo's to cover my mouth. "Okay," I mumbled under my breath, smiling up at Leonardo. " I think I understand now. At least a little bit."

"Good, good." Leo stood from the bed and made his way to the door again. He spared me a look back, a small smile gracing his lips. "You look very tired, Narina. Why don't you get some sleep?"

I laughed lightly under my breath. Of course Leonardo could tell I hadn't any sleep the night before. "Yeah. That would be nice." I put the pillow in my lap behind me again, prepared to lay down upon it. Although I felt bad for sleeping the day away, I was too tired to really reflect upon it more. The overwhelming feeling of love-sickness was lifted from my burdened shoulders, and I finally felt light enough to close my eyes comfortably.

By the time I had settled into my blankets and pillows, Leonardo had left the room, and a moment later, slumber took me under it's dark wing.

* * *

I woke up around the gloom dusk, the bright golden and red sun dipping behind the mountains, reflecting some of it's last rays into my room through the window to be laid upon my face. I groaned in a small dose of pleasure as I sat up, feeling fresh and very well rested. The word 'love' fluttered through my head as it had the night before, but now, instead of throwing my insides through a maelstrom of mixed emotions, my body simply warmed and a smiled graced my lips. I quickly brushed my mess of hair and straightened my clothes before walking out of the room.

When I walked out into the workshop, rubbing m eyes with a small smile, Leonardo greeted me from his desk, putting down his quill of which he was using to sketch out designs on a piece of paper.

"You look better," he pointed out, standing up to give me a one armed hug. "Sleep good, did you?"

I hummed lightly. "Mm, yes. Like the dead."

Leonardo leaned back on his desk, giving me a bright smile and a small nod of his head, showing that he was pleased that I was feeling better. I wandered to the other side of the room, reaching into a bowl of fruit on a table in the corner of which I had no doubt he had had plans to paint sooner or later. "Ugo and Rosa stopped by not too long ago looking for you," he started after silently watching me pick through the color filled bowl.

"Oh?" I pulled out an odd looking yellow fruit and rolled it in between my hands for a minute. "What for?"

Leonardo walked up to me and took the fruit from my hands. When I thought he was upset that I was taking it from the 'artistic' bowl, he explained, "Lemons are sour. Here, have an apple instead." He placed the round, red fruit in my palms with a smile. "They claimed that they could use your help for a plan tonight."

I bit into the crunchy apple, surprised to find that it was ripe. "For what?" I asked while chomping on the fruit.

"I'm not sure. I didn't ask." Leonardo walked back around his desk, sitting back down. "But I told them I'd send you over once you woke up." I frowned at that. I could imagine Ugo making fun of me for sleeping in the day like a small babe.

When I finished my apple, I bid Leonardo farewell and left the shop, weaving through the crowds to head to the thieves guild docks. The evening sun had almost vanished, only it foreboding, husky rays peeping out over the mountains in the distance as if they were waving goodbye to the entire city, dousing the buildings with it's light one last time before it went to rest.

I didn't take any time to stop and admire the beauty and made a straight B-line to the entrance of the Guild. When I walked through the courtyard, I realized that there were no thieves lounging around like there usually was. I looked around for a moment, gazing up at the rooftops. Perhaps that they needed help with tonight due to a large movement, although I didn't see what _I_ could do to help.

After I was done looking around, I moved to the door that I knew led to the Thieves Guild Office. I knocked on it once and the door almost opened immediately after. I was faced by a rather tense looking Ugo, who looked down upon me in a silent, careful gaze before he broke out in a grin. "You up from your nice nap?"

I frowned. I knew that he was going to bring it up. "Yes. Thanks for asking." I pushed through past him and into the dimly lit room, of where I was surprised to see that Rosa, Antonio, two other thieves and Ezio all surrounding a table. My heart was shoved up my throat when I looked up into that familiar, hooded face. And even when he smiled lightly at me, I couldn't smile back—I had to look down, feeling my face warm lightly. A chill weaved through my body and I tried to swallow back the thudding in my throat.

I looked back up with a small, poorly attempted smile. "So, what's going on?"

All the attention went back to Antonio, who beckoned me to come closer to the table. Ezio moved aside, allowing me a spot between him and Rosa. I hesitantly placed myself in the spot, looking over the grad model of the western most part of Venice that wasn't unlike the one back at Monteriggioni.

Antonio explained the pan to me quickly but quite thoroughly, allowing me to set aside my thudding feelings to put on a more serious and composed face. Antonio pointed to the replica of the grand building of which Emilio resided. "Narina, you will climb above the structure and drop down into the courtyard to take care of any guards that might see Ezio upon the roofs."

I paused. "But I..."

"Ugo will be going with you, considering your...odd situation," Antonio explained. "You have a keen eye, my friend, and it shall help Ugo clear the way." Ugo and I gave each other a quick look of acknowledgment before Antonio let his focus shift to Ezio. "Our men are replacing the archers that you've removed as we speak. Emilio should be inside, Ezio. Scale the building up after Ugo and Narina and strike once the path is clear. Let us all be careful my friends." We all exchanged a nod with each other and we then all piled out of the room.

Ugo turned to me out in the courtyard. "We're up first. You keep a good eye out for me—watch my back."

"Right." I let Ugo scale the wall first, and right when I was about to follow, a hand seized my arm and pulled me aside. If it wasn't for the supporting arm at my elbow, I would have fell over on my face. Instead, a swell of warm breath pressed against my face and twisted back into my hair. I found myself staring into the warm, golden eyes of Ezio, inches away from his face.

His fingers brushed up into my hair as if from nowhere. "_Essere sicuro _(be safe)," he whispered lightly. My serious facade breached for a moment to let my heart thud loudly and blush color my cheeks.

"R-right_,_" I mumbled, smiling softly at him. "You should be careful as well, Ezio." He smiled in return, and it was the only thing to still be seen as he stood straight, hiding his face in darker shadows. I found myself staring up at him in silent wonderment for a moment before turning back to the building and pulling myself up on the wall.

Up at the top, Ugo reached down and helped me stand upon the roof. We gave each other a look o f encouragement, and it melted away all the butterflies that had appeared in my stomach due to Ezio's smile. It was as if Ugo had known that I had such a problem that could cause a distraction and he knew just how to dash such a feeling. In another moment, we were running along the rooftops, free running under the rising moon in the partly cloudy sky. When we approached the large Palazzo of Emilio Barbarigo, Ugo held out a hand to me to stop me from continuing.

"_Attesa_, (wait)," he huffed, catching his breath, heaving just as loudly as I was. We waited to catch our breath. "We need to go around on foot for a moment—the Palazzo is too tall for us to reach from other rooftops."

"What about the guards stationed at the gates?"

Ugo looked down at the streets over the edge. "My men will create a distraction," Ugo explained, pointing down to a group in the shadow before the Palazzo entrance.

"You're willing to risk them getting caught again?" I wondered, gazing up at Ugo.

He returned a long look back at me. "Hopefully, we'll be successful tonight and we won't have to worry about that risk." Ugo looked away, making a move to drop down the building. "We all know what we fight for, Narina, and we're all willing to risk our lives for it."

I felt my brow furrow as Ugo hoisted himself down over the edge. "You're not _all_ a part of the Assassin's order, are you?"

Ugo paused and looked up at me. "No, not bound to it like Antonio is, but we all fight for it in any case."

I nodded, understanding for I was the same. I followed Ugo's motion to lower down to the ground, making sure that we didn't rise too much suspicion. After we consulted with a few of Ugo's men in the shadows away from the stationed guards, we all took our positions for our small plan to unfold. The handful of thieves ran towards the guards, pushing at them and mocking them loudly before taking off down the streets, the guards, all pissed off and annoyed, followed quickly behind. From this point, Ugo and I took no time to run from our dark shadows and into the courtyard of the large palazzo, throwing ourselves up upon the building. Our actions and methods were not unlike to those of which Rosa used the time she tried to scale the very same wall, only we didn't have to worry about an arrow being stuck through our legs.

When we got upon the tall building, the rush of being a part of the assassination plan hit me, and I grinned eagerly at Ugo before he grinned back, just as eager. We both studied the courtyard from our high perch before we dropped down into an empty balcony that hung above the courtyard. From there Ugo and I scoped out the area, taking note of where all the guards in the area were posted. However, we had no time to make another plan, and with a belt loop full of throwing knives and a few good and masterful flicks of his wrist, Ugo managed to kill a good and wondrous amount of stationed guards, me having to keep an eye out for any that might pose a threat later on. From the balcony, I was able to see Ezio pop up over the roof top on the opposite side of us. Him and Ugo exchanged a few motions of the hands before Ezio gazed down over the edge.

There was the sound of a door opening somewhere down in the jutting corridors along side the building, and Ugo and I stooped down to hide in the balcony.

"You're little house of cards is crumbling, Emilio," A voice came, followed shortly by another noise that signaled that the door was now closed.

"You've nothing to fear—it's only a minor problem." Another voice came, and I watched Ugo's face darken at it. It must have been Emilio. "We can deal with Antonio and his foolish set of thieves—."

"Never mind the thieves, you imbecile!" The first voice responded in angst. "It's the assassin you should be concerned about!"

"The assassin?" Emilio sounded all together confused and frightened, and I couldn't help but look up upon Ezio on the rooftop. I was surprised to see that he was gone, silently gone from his perch. "W-why? Is...is he in _Venezia?_" Ugo spared a looked down over the edge of the balcony, and I followed in suite. More guards had come out into the courtyard, and I heard Ugo curse under his breath at the sight.

"He's been here for weeks!" The man scolded loudly. "How can you be so blind?" I let my mind go on a tangent about how I was relieved that I hadn't been the only one to be considered blind.

"I've been busy—I haven't the time to gaze upon the streets like you!" Emilio responded heatedly. "I was the one to provide weapons to our brothers in _Firenze._" I felt my eyes close at the mention of the city, and I could almost imagine the warm colors of my primary home.

"Oh, and _that_ went over oh so very well, didn't it Emilio?" The voices were falling farther and farther away, obviously the men heading down to the exit of the courtyard.

"Ah, enough of this nonsense!" Emilio barked, clearly upset. "What is it that you even want Carlo?"

The other man, apparently named Carlo, was silent for a moment before responding "Maestro has called another meeting. In three days, we are to meet at Santo Stefano."

"Fine." Emilio cleared his raspy throat. "I will be there."

"If you're still alive, that is," Carlo put in snidely. "Take my word, brother, and take refuge in another place. Seta is a target. They know you are here."

Emilio snickered and scoffed. "Seta is a fortress—no one can impenetrable it."

"If you say so,"Carlo responded evenly. "Goodbye, Emilio."

In the moment of silence that followed afterwords, Ugo stood straight to gaze over the balcony again, and I slowly stood as well, peeking over the edge slowly. Before I could wonder too much as to where Ezio had suddenly disappeared to, Emilio's voice rang out again. "_Cazzo!_ (Fuck!) What if he is right?" Another moment of silence. "The Assassin couldn't have sneaked into the city so easily...but just in case...Double the guards at the entrances! Kill any of suspicion!"

I saw Ugo smile from the corner of my eye, and could almost hear his silent snickering as if to say 'too little too late.'

It surprised me when all hell was suddenly cut loose. Sudden screams arose from the courtyard, all of which were Emilio's for more guards to protect him. Frantically, both Ugo and I leaned over the railing to gaze down at the yard, of which many guards lined now. In the middle of the circled guards was Ezio, his white hood evident in the dim moonlight. A horrible feeling plagued my stomach as I recalled a similar situation in the Teatro Romano back in San Gimignano, and I now could never bare the sight of seeing Ezio so badly wounded again. Not now.

I was able to get one foot upon the edge of the railing, preparing to jump down to a lower level before Ugo's hand resisted me at my elbow.

"What are you doing?" He asked in bewilderment. "You're going to let yourself get killed."

"Ezio's surrounded," I breathed, keeping my gaze down at the fighting assassin below me.

"And he'll be fine!" Ugo prodded, continuing to pull at my resisting figure. "Get down, Narina." I fought against Ugo for a long moment, the young thief a lot stronger than he had looked. He was able to get me off the railing, although I resisted the best I could. Shamefully, I felt my eyes well up with tears, like I had been a child denied to get a sweet candy from the market, and yet I still twisted violently against Ugo's grasp. "Let go of me!" I growled. "I can't let him get hurt again!"

"Narina," Ugo reasoned, "he knows what he's doing."

"Ugo—!" I started, throwing him a sharp look over my shoulder, but when we locked eyes, I paused. Ugo's eyes were sharp and accusing, his brow furrowed, and his capped head bowed ever so slightly. I swallowed back a sudden set of fear and guilt. Ugo knew. I wasn't sure why I felt so bad under his sharp gaze, like I should have known better than to let him know I felt as such.

The whiz of arrows caught both of our attention, and we both quickly looked over the edge again, watching a rainfall of arrows pierce through the extra guards that surrounded Ezio. I looked up to the higher rooftops and saw the other thieves pointing their bow and arrows down to the courtyard, helping Ezio clear out.

But there was a sudden feeling of awkwardness between the air of Ugo and I, and I realized that I wanted to get out of it. I turned back to Ugo, trying to hide my earlier feelings. "Look, we're going to have to go down there sooner or later, so let's just get it over with, hm?"

This time, Ugo didn't object, and he followed me down over the edge of the railing, jumping down to a lower level before we took another small break, allowing Ezio to confront, speak, and then kill Emilio. As Ezio bloodied his sleeves and blade, leaving Emilio's body in the middle of the courtyard as if he were showing off his accomplishment, Ugo and I swung our legs over the edge, prepared to jump down to the ground to confront the assassin. The arrows were flying again, though, landing awfully close to Ezio's position, although none of them hit him. We all looked up higher again and saw Rosa grinning over the edge down at Ezio. "Sorry!" She called down to him. "We couldn't resist!"

I frowned up at her, wondering how she risked such an endeavor. _Ha ha, you're funny_, I thought bitterly as Rosa made her quick descent down the building. _I'm going to shoot an arrow in your leg again_. I was surprised by my violent thoughts, but I didn't let them get to me. Ugo pulled at my arm before he too dropped down to the lower ground, landing with a loud grunt flat on his feet before standing straight and following Rosa and Ezio towards the large gates that led into the palazzo. Rosa tugged open the large gate, and many more men flooded into the courtyard, including Antonio.

Finding myself not really able to jump down anymore, a strange force holding me back, I watched as Antonio gave Ezio and excited hug, and I could hear the hum of cheers on the quiet side of everyone's lips.

"Tear down Emilio's banners!" Antonio told the thieves that surrounded him. "Give back what he has taken from the people!" The men all cheered loudly before breaking off into small groups, intent on ripping down any evidence that Emilio existed. I watched silently as Ugo and Rosa teamed up, both giving Ezio a look of accomplishment (Ugo's look seemed almost menacing, though,) before they,too, joined the thieves. Antonio and Ezio exchanged words softly, before Antonio handed Ezio a large, full pouch, presumably of money for the reward of the mission. Finally, I found that I could swing myself off the edge. When I had landed with a rather hard 'thud' and straightened from my crouched position, I looked up soon enough to watch Ezio bow his head to Antonio, turning on his heel to gaze out at the courtyard.

His eyes landed on me as I approached him, my arms folded and a small smile on my lips. I realized, as he grinned back down at me, that I had nothing to say to him—I hadn't thought of what to say. I groped through my mind, and as I did so, Ezio reached out and brushed a stray hair that had fallen against my cheek. "You look stressed," he commented, and a second later, as if he remembered he was talking to me, he reached up to lower his hood so that I could look into his warm, gold eyes. Yeah, that didn't exactly help me with my thinking process.

But I somehow managed to come up with something. I leaned away from his brushing finger so that my mind could stay on track. "So, what, are we going to a meeting in...three days, was it?"

Ezio grinned. "As a matter of fact, we are." Ezio waved for me to follow him, and we left the large palazzo a moment later, heading back towards the general direction of the guild.

How wonderful it felt to actually know that I felt about Ezio and yet I was still able to regard with him as I always had before. "So, is there to be a grand, three day celebration until the meeting, then?" I did take a good note that the air was flitting with the sparks of celebration.

Ezio chuckled under his breath. "Celebrations are but an expected thing." Ezio stopped walking and paused for a moment, giving me a sly look. "But it's also when I'm going to teach you how to swim."

I froze in my tracks, staring up at Ezio with a bewildered look. "What?"

"Ugo told me you were a hard pupil." Ezio lowered his face to grin evilly at me. "I said that I'd help break you in, even if you do sink like a rock!"

Frowning again, I huffed and folded my arms. "_Lei due sono così medi a me! _(You two are so mean to me!)" I whined, pursing my lips into a pout. "It's not my fault that I can't magically float like the rest of you." I found myself happy at the thought that I was acting like I normally did around Ezio, and to me, I felt like that's what love should be like with your best friend. Totally the same, just with deeper emotions.

The streets were nearly empty now—most had probably turned in for the night, at least in the general area. Ezio walked back up to me, placing his hand along the back curve of my skull. "It must be this hard head of yours," he mused softly with a grin. I opened my mouth to make a snark remark back, but Ezio was suddenly pulling me to him, letting his other hand spread out along my waist. "But that's alright," he hummed, his breath pressed into my hair. I smelled in a big draft of his metal armor and sweaty clothes, smiling to myself as I recalled that I loved the smell as well, despite how odd it seemed. Without much of a thought, my arms twisted up around his neck, pushing my face against his damp and broad neck. He moved both of his hands to my waist, then suddenly lifted me from the ground, holding me to his chest as he twisted us both in a circle.

We both laughed loudly for a moment before Ezio placed me back down, grinning like a small child down at me. "I'm assuming that you're not tired." I nodded. "Good. We'll start out this celebration by giving you a grand tour of moonlit _Venezia_." The clouds had cleared briefly in the sky, I noticed with a quick glance.

"You know your way around, already?" I wondered, raising a brow to Ezio.

A chuckle brewed from his chest. "Yes. Without you to bug, I've found a lot of time on my hands."

For some reason, I was flattered. But I didn't let him get the pleasure that easily. "What, you didn't occupy any woman's beds these past two weeks? I find _that_ hard to believe." Even though I didn't like the thought, I knew it was foolish to think that Ezio had kept his penis in his pants this entire time we had been in Venice. It was a new place with new women. A very tempting brandy that no whore of his magnitude could resist.

Ezio put his hands on his hips and gave me a look that said he was appalled. "You're words wound me so, Narina! If you're really so nasty of it—no, I haven't." I shook my head and rolled my eyes at him. "I'm serious! I've been busy going over the city and figuring out a plan with Antonio for these past weeks. I've had to cover a lot of ground as of late." I went to respond, but Ezio kept talking, "Besides, you seemed really upset the last time I lavished myself." I closed my mouth, and finally felt a little annoyed at Ezio, mad at him for bringing _that_ up again. Ezio gave me a sincere look. "Of which I truly wish to apologize for."

The anger was taken away a bit, and I was able to smile a little at him. "You've already apologized, so no worries." I waved my hand in the air. "I forgave you a long time ago." Well...two days, a long time ago...what was the difference?

Ezio smiled briefly, but it fell as his eyes locked to an area below my face, and I found myself looking down to try to see what he was looking at. He reached out and pushed two of his fingertips to my exposed collar bone. "I feel bad about the necklace too."

I frowned. "That wasn't your fault." It actually was, but I didn't want to have to explain to him why.

But judging from the way he looked down at me, I think he knew somewhere deep down inside that it was his fault the necklace was gone. However, instead of pressing on the matter further, Ezio offered me his hand. "Let's get this midnight tour on the way."

As I stared at his offered hand, I realized that I had every reason _not_ to be in love with this man. And yet, those were all the very same reasons that I loved so much, and that's what rendered me unsteady and almost unsure. I took his hand gingerly, allowing his long and strong fingers to wrap around my tiny hand and then to pull me along after him, the tour starting under the skewed moonlight through the thin and wispy clouds.

* * *

**More closure stuff there at the end.  
****:I Dammit. I'm pissed at myself for taking my sweet time on this.  
****(Oh, and please keep in mind that I NEVER wanted to imply Narina/Ugo. I just want them to have a true blue friendship. :3)**

**Thanks!  
****(and please review! :3)**


	21. Venice Elements: Water and Air

**-This Chapter kicked my ass in a very hard-core way. :I Stupid hard chapters.  
****-I was BRIBED to finish this chapter...Ah, but it was SO worth it! :DDDD**

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* * *

_And I'd give up forever to touch you,  
__'cause I know that you'd feel me somehow.  
__You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be.  
__And I don't want to go home right now...  
__And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming.  
__All the moments of truth in your lies...  
__Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive._

– "**Iris" **by **The Goo Goo Dolls**

* * *

* * *

**Chapter 20: Venice Elements:Water and Air**

Upon the tall tower in the northern-most part of Venice, under the pasty yet bright moon, the shimmers reflecting off of the dipping waters, Ezio knelt to the edge and reached down to me, pulling me up onto the pointed tipped top. The wind was biting and harp against my face as Ezio helped me stand upon the slanted roof, allowing the cool fingers to twist the hair away form my face, the smell of the salty water pressed into the breeze.

I let out a sigh, taking note that the moon was hanging more to the western sky now. The tour had been awe-striking, of course, but it had defiantly been a long time since I had ran across city rooftops for an extended amount of time.

"So?" Ezio hummed to me, totally unaffected by the rooftops adventure. I could see in my peripheral that he was staring down upon me from under his hood. "What do you think about lovely _Venezia_ bathed in moonlight?"

"Breathtaking," I responded, looking out over the vast sea. I felt my nose wrinkle. "But I'll just say that the smell of the sea up here is much more pleasant of that of the streets."

Ezio laughed under his breath. " I said much of the very same thing."

Venice was indeed yet a whole other wonder in the light and shadows of the night. It was as if the moonlight revealed sights that daylight blurred away. I reveled in the height that I was above the city, for I was never able to appreciate the large, beautifully mastered city that seemingly floated upon the shimmer waves of the Mediterranean, the tall building's reached up into the untouchable heavens. We stood in a silence, the wind brushing lightly against our faces, bathed in the moonlight. I ended up sighing and lowering myself to sit on the edge of the roof, dangling my feet over the edge. Ezio's hand ended up on my head, patting me like I was a small puppy.

I frowned, and as if he could hear my unspoken question, he answered, "You seem restless lately—especially this past day." I kept my mouth shut, not really wanting to answer him. When I didn't say anything, Ezio lifted his hand from my head and placed himself next to me, allowing his long legs to drape over the edge of the roof as well. "Is there something going on?" he wondered.

I kept my gaze on the distant, dark mountains and the shimmering waves down below. I sighed. "Nothing that you should be worried about," I responded quietly, folding my hands in my lap.

It was almost as if I could feel the waves of disapproving roll off of Ezio. "Well, now I want to know."

Slowly, I shook my head and then looked up at him. "Look, I'll tell you after things settle down. It's something that you don't need to hold it's burden." I smiled at him when he frowned down upon me. "I'll tell you after the meeting, alright?" Three days...I wasn't sure if that was enough time for me to gather up my courage to tell him. And moreover, I realized that I only had three days to live like we always had—I knew the confession would change something somehow, whether it be for the better or for the worst.

A pout graced Ezio's face, greatly visible even from under his hood. "I want to know _now_."

"Well," I retorted, lifting my chin at him, and raising my brows at him. "You don't always get what you want in life, do you Ezio?"

His eyes tightened for a moment, but then they were warmed along with the creepy smirk that blanched out across his face. I felt my face drop into a shocked confusion as I realized that he was suddenly too close to me, his face only a few inches away from mine. Leaning slightly away from him, I tried to move out from under his gaze that made my cheeks flush so warmly. But it was inevitable. When I moved away, he moved along with me. When I tried to turn my head away to look back down at the waters, my chin was suddenly caught in his fist, making my head incline further up towards his own. There was a certain slyness in the set of his golden eyes.

"You're wrong," he whispered darkly, his breath flowing over my face, caressing my cheeks. "_Prendo che voglio, (_I get whatever I want)." Oh, how his words made my heart thud loudly in my chest, my blood race and my breath catch itself in my throat. I was caught by surprise when the shadow of his hood overcast my face from the moonlight, his forehead pressed against mine while the hand at my chin loosened and ran along my jaw line.

But then...I pulled away, finding myself laughing lightly under my breath while leaning away from his touch. "You're such an idiot," I giggled. "Charming, but an idiot." When he looked down upon me, I could see all the confusion and all the questions within. I had never denied him a kiss—at least, not in a long time. I smiled softly at him. "I'll tell you after the scheduled meeting. No sooner."

Finally, Ezio grunted in defeat and leaned away from me, frowning out at the sea. "You know, I'll be assuming all the worse things if you're not going to tell me."

My smile faded. "I didn't say it was bad news." Then I stopped to think about it. Perhaps it would be bad news in Ezio's eyes—his closest ally falling in love with him, becoming not his greatest asset, but his biggest weakness. And also, what if he didn't reciprocate? Everything that had been carefully built between us for all these years would be torn down, wouldn't they?

Ezio's face lightened a bit. "So, it's good, then?"

I stayed silent for a moment. Then sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

Ezio frowned again, but there wasn't any mischievousness in it this time. He reached out and put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me towards him so that I was snuggled into his side. "Well, I'll be here for you in any case, I guess."

"Yeah." I allowed myself to relax into him. "I know that." I sighed again, then felt my brow furrow as I thought, _I guess when you're in love, you sigh a lot._

When Ezio's hold was no longer helpful against the cold breeze brushing across my face, I pulled away from him and pushed myself up onto my feet. "We should get going," I said, reaching down and tugging at the nape of Ezio's cape. "If we stay in once place for too long, the guards will find us. Let's not forget that you just killed a man."

Ezio understood my logic and stood as well. I followed him down off the rooftops, back onto the dirty and rocky streets of Venice. Although the street too were dangerous, it seemed like a more civil way to walk around on ground level rather than upper roofs. Besides, I had grown tired through out the night despite my sleep earlier in the day. It must have been a few hours after midnight, judging on the moons position and also by the way the streets seemed to be cleared. However approaching summer quickly, the nights were still biting cold, and I felt myself shudder under the crisp air, raising my arms up around me as if to shield me from the cold. I could just imagine myself with a cold and a runny nose and I frowned at the image. It had been years since my last cold—it was due time for another, and I didn't want it what-so-ever.

I jumped when something wrapped around my shoulder, pulling me to the side. There was a light flush of embarrassment as I realized Ezio had noticed me contemplating the cold night and he had pulled me against his side again. "_Mi dicpace_," he murmured under his breath. "If I would have known this night to be freezing, I wouldn't have dragged you along." Even though my heart thudded so uncomfortably, I allowed his arm to sit upon my frame, his heat radiating through his assassin robes. I let my shoulder fit into the crook under his arm, allowing my head to lightly lean back against his arm. There wasn't even a second thought when I reached up and took a hold of Ezio's hand that hung over my shoulder.

I blushed when I could feel his questioning gaze upon the top of my head. "Y-your hands are warm," I mumbled. There was a moment of silence, and then suddenly Ezio was chuckling, pulling me even tighter against him.

"If you're so cold," he said softly down to me, "just say something. I've got enough warmth for the two of us."

I smiled, the odd twist in my stomach tightening again. "Are you trying to be charming, or are you being perverted again?" I turned my head and looked up into his hood, gazing into his honey eyes.

He smirked back down at me, showing off his bright, straight row of teeth. "Depends on which one you favor more."

Laughing, I rolled my eyes and looked away from him, but gripped onto his hand tighter. "Why are you so...so stupid?" I laughed out loud again.

Ezio chuckled with me for a moment before asking, "Are you going back to Leonardo's tonight, or are you coming back to the Thieves Guild with me?"

I gave him a 'are you serious' look with a half smile. "I need to go back to Leonardo's. Sorry—no play time tonight, Ezio."

"When have we _ever_ had 'playtime?'" Ezio asked lowly, and I could feel his hold tighten ever so slightly.

"Never." I pursed my lips. "Let's keep it that way for a while."

By now, we had made it to the large plaza that was the street for Leonardo's shop, and Ezio huffed loudly under his breath. "I'll have you someday, Narina."

He took me to the door of the shop before letting go of me, standing in the small archway entrance to wait for me to go into the building. I shrugged, innocently widening my eyes. "Well, I never said that you wouldn't." Ah, the small but extravagant smile he gave me sent my heart a flutter, and I couldn't help but smile back softly. "So, swimming lessons tomorrow, hm?"

Ezio shifted on his feet, his robes shuffling together around his legs, and he folded his arms across his chest. "Meet me down by the Guild and we'll have the lesson's there."

I tapped the side of my head. "I'm a slow learner, just to warn you."

"You forget that I'm the one who taught you how to climb buildings." He smirked. "Trust me, Narina, I know how you tick. See you tomorrow morning, at sun rise." With that, he turned and walked out into the streets in the familiar direction of I knew to be the Thieves Guild area. I watched after Ezio with a small smile, then turned to walk into the workshop before he turned around and caught me gazing upon him. I'd have to hold back the feelings for a just a while longer.

* * *

Leonardo woke me up way early in the morning by yelling out in excitement. I seriously considered just rolling over onto my stomach and falling back asleep, (I had actually only gotten about five hours of sleep), but with a rough rub to my eyes, a mental reminder that Ezio wanted me to go over early and a deep groan, I rolled out of bed and stumbled my way out of the room.

After I was tended to, presentable, and fed from the food items in the kitchen, I greeted Leonardo out in the shop. He was hovering over a large, spread out piece of paper with equations and sketches all about it. When I asked him what he was doing, he only responded in what sounded like fast gibberish, so I pretended to understand with a small 'oh, okay' before I excused myself from the building.

Early morning Venice was better than any other time of the day. The air smelled a little bit cleaner, if any, and the air was crisp and awakening. And freezing. I frowned at the thought that I would be swimming around in the already cold water in this freezing air. A sigh escaped my lips. Ezio sure knew how to torture me.

The streets were somewhat empty in the morning, but still more busy than Monteriggioni's had ever been. I made my way through the crowds to the north-southern docks, taking my sweet time as if the thudding of my steps were like a lullaby to me. Perhaps I should have quickened my pace, for when I entered into the guild courtyard, I was faced with a arm folded Ezio, a deep frown on his face of which was shadowed by his familiar hood. I was taken aback, for I couldn't tell if he was truly upset with me or not.

"You're late," he stated sharply.

"I..." I swallowed, my eyes widening. "I didn't know that...I..."

Of course, Ezio did one of his trademark, charming grins. "You can be forgiven if you prove yourself a great student today." He pointed back out the entrance of the courtyard. "Now out into the water."

My normal annoyance with Ezio settled in. Even affection couldn't filter that one out. "Well, okay, but I'll just drown. I can't swim."

Ezio raised his brow and gave me a sly, crooked smile. "Yet." Another point of his finger. "Go."

I sighed. I had forgotten how bossy Ezio became when he was a teacher.

We walked out to the open sea that was next to the guild entrance. Ezio looked down at me, reaching up and pulling down his hood. "Well, take off your vest," he ordered as if I didn't know what I was doing.

I automatically folded my arms over my chest. "Why?"

There was an insincere grin that I knew all too well. "The extra weight will weigh you down. It's best to learn easy and then gradually put on the normal weight."

"Yeah right," I retorted. What, was he stupid? How much did he think I thought a vest weighed?

The professional look overcame Ezio's face again. "Seriously—that vest is made out of a material that will weigh you down when it's soaked with water."

I frowned, letting my fingers at my side fiddle with the end of the vest resting upon my upper thighs. "You're not playing games, are you?"

"Does it matter?" He reached out to me and took a hold of the sash that I hand tied loosely upon my hips, untying it and pulling it away from me, pouches and all. "Take it off." I took a good note that Ezio could still swim with all of his armor and things on, but...well, he could swim better than I could anyways.

Even though I did have one of Ezio's old dress shirts on underneath, I still felt as though I was about to expose myself. But slowly, starting by tugging up on my shoulders to let my arms slip inside so I could lift the clothing up over my head. Ezio invited himself to help me, much to my burning cheeks and throbbing heart's dismay, letting his fingers brush against me as he lifted the material. Once the vest was off, I folded my arms timidly over my chest and brushed the hair out of my face. Ezio placed my clothes and pouches among a nearby crate.

He smiled softly as he arranged the items, and it grew more dominate upon his face as he turned to me. "Ready?"

_Maybe I should just back out now_, I thought staring up at Ezio, who smile was becoming more and more of a smirk. _Probably save me a lot of embarrassment._ I sighed. "Yeah. Ready as ever."

"Good." He stood straighter. "Now before we begin...let's see what you know."

I was suddenly falling back, my arms flailing and my screams ringing from my mouth. I had enough sense in my head to know that Ezio had pushed me backwards into the water, and in the split moment of falling I was able to catch a big gulp of air in my mouth before I was engulfed. Yes, engulfed in the icy waters of the Mediterranean, and I was surprised that the breath I had taken wasn't ripped straight out of me. The water was so cold that the sudden temperature change made my lungs contract and feel like they were about to be crushed. I was so cold that I found myself not even able to move.

Luckily, my hands stretched out in front of me found the stone edge of the street way and I was able to use that to drag myself back up to the surface. I gasped as I breached the waters surface, one of my hands gripping up onto the edge of the edge while the other was flailing about, hoping to have any contact with Ezio, which it didn't. I only heard his laughs and then my chattering teeth overtook my hearing.

"Y-y-y-y-you f-f-f-f-fucking ja-c-ckass," I spat out, blinking out the water from my eyes.

He was hunched over, smiling down upon me with an elated smile. "Well, you know how to not drown. That's a start. At least Ugo got _something_ accomplished."

God, I needed to get out of the water. I could already feel my legs going numb. I sucked in a deep and stuttered breath, weaved with chattering teeth and Ezio chuckled under his breath again. "Is the water cold?"

"What the f-f-fuck do you th-th-think?" I snarled, gripping onto the edge of the the edge of the walkway, shakily hoisting myself upon it.

Ezio's laughs stopped suddenly. "You want to stay in the water," he said in a soft tone.

"Yeah, fuck that!"

"Narina." I stopped and looked up at Ezio distastefully, but I found he wasn't even looking _at_ me, but rather down past my face to my torso, one of his eyebrows raised and an almost crazed smile upon his lips. I followed his gaze down to my chest, and I was appalled that, due to the thin, wet fabric and the cold freezing water and air, my nipples and chest was almost nearly completely exposed through the wet shirt.

I screamed and allowed myself to drop low enough down to be able to hide my chest. "_Asino!"_ I yelled up at Ezio, my cheeks burning and my blood pounding loudly through my veins. "Why the hell did you make me take off my vest?" I threw him an accusing and embarrassed glare. "You _knew_ this was going to happen, didn't you!"

Ezio's face blanched out into his sexy smirk. "Well, you're staying in the water, right?"

I huffed loudly. "You have a very sick way of teaching, Ezio."

He chuckled. "The teacher has to have some fun too, hm?" I couldn't respond to him, nothing came to mind, so I kept my gaze away from him and tried to get my heart to slow down. I wasn't sure if it was because of the fact I was getting used to the water or if it was the fact that my blood now raced through out my body quickly, but the water was a little bit more bearable now. In any case, I was glad to see Ezio take a step and fall into the water, splashing me lightly with a few drops. When he popped back out above the surface, letting out a shaky breath, I commented in a mocking tone "What? Is the water cold?"

After letting out another shaky breath, he smirked at me. "You've mocked the teacher. I'll make things ten times harder for you now."

"What?" I gave him a scared look, clinging tightly onto the edge. "No, wait, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

"Can't go back on it now, Narina." Ezio lifted his hand up towards me, the thin material of his shirt clinging to his arms, allowing me to see the thick muscle stretched along his forearm. His hand took a hold of my shoulder, and I reacted with a slight struggle and lifting my legs up under the water so that I could kick at him. If he was going to be a dick about this, I was going to be a hardcore rebel about it.

However, I had just given myself a disadvantage, for Ezio's hand left my shoulder and caught me around one of my ankles before I could kick him. "Good," he mused, the amusement in his voice. "I guess we will start of with learning how to kick, hm?"

"I know how to already," I spat. "Get a little closer and I'll show you!"  
Ezio clicked his tongue at me in a disapproving manor. "Now you're threatening the Teacher. I might as well start whipping you right now."

I huffed and pouted, giving Ezio a small glare. No, I wasn't going to apologize this time. We bickered for a few more moments before I finally gave in and let Ezio's hands lead my legs into soft kicking motions. It wasn't as bad as I would have first thought. Ezio's hands would either pull on my heel for me to kick out, or maybe go under water to cup around my knee to make me bend them. He guided me with gentle and informing words, telling me that flailing was no way to swim—you had to plan out your movements and go from there. We took a few moments so that I could try out a few different leg patterns before Ezio stopped helping me and allowed me to try on my own. Although I was getting the hang of it, I was still a little sloppy and unsteady. The morning sun had climbed up into the sky a little bit more, and it's warm rays heated up the top of my head, and that made me warmer in a sense, and I was finally able to start enjoying the swimming lessons.

"Here, keep your knee straight," Ezio told me, holding onto the edge as well so that he didn't have to waste his energy by swimming in one spot. With a low breath, he dropped into the water and swam back around to my legs. He reached down under the water and his hand (somehow _still_ warm even though it had been in the water too) pressed into my knee, making my leg straighten. And then, his hands were on the back of my thighs, resting casually in the spot right just below my rear-end.

"Hey, knock it off." I snapped, throwing a look over my hunched shoulder due to me clinging onto the edge.

Ezio raised his brow evenly. "What?"

"Don't try to act innocent. Teaching me how to swim doesn't require you touching my ass, okay?" I retorted against his action, but was I really such a bad person to have actually enjoyed his touch? When I thought back on it, I always _had_ like Ezio's flirting touches. Ah, but what a pushover I would be if I actually let him know that.

"On the contrary, Narina, your ass has a lot of variables in swimming."

I frowned, not sure if he were telling the truth or not. "Maybe so, but that still doesn't mean you have to grope it."

"I'm noteven _touching_ it," Ezio complained. "If I was, trust me, you'd be able to tell."

"Well, don't even plan to, or else I'll show you just how good I can kick. And I think your crotch would be my prime target."

There was a deep chuckle. "I'm glad you would even regard such an area."

"That's not what I..." I stopped and sighed. "Never mind."

"I'm glad we're on the same level." Before I could respond, he continued talking. "Okay, let's go on to lesson two. Let's learn how to actually float now." He pried me from the edge and pulled me out into the open water, holding me by my upper arms.

I panicked for a moment, and I struggled around in Ezio's hold until I was clinging to him, my arms around his neck and my cheek pressed against his. We both fell silent and stopped moving momentarily, then Ezio chuckled. "Narina, I've got a hold of you. You don't have to be scared. It's not like I'm going to let you drown."

Letting out my breath, I took no comfort in his words and clung onto him tighter. He was so warm—it wasn't fair that he could be in the water and not freeze like I was! I was all too aware that I was pressing my chest against his, his warmth giving some nice comfort in that sense, the way his breath fell against my neck, the way his rough cheek dragged so pleasantly against mine. The water created an odd loss of friction between us, which was, strangely, just as enticing as the straining friction could be. With a feeling stirring in the pit of my stomach, I suddenly didn't want to be learning how to swim anymore.

Ezio, for once, had other ideas, and pushed me away. "Lay back on the water," he told me, "and hold your breath. You should float." I made sure my chest was covered with my hands before I let Ezio guide be back onto my back upon the water, his hands branched out along side my back to hold me up and keep me from sinking. I looked up at him, keeping my hands firmly on my chest, and in return, he offered a warm smile. "Take a deep breath," he murmured, "and you'll float."

I swallowed. "You're not going to let me go, are you?"

Another smug smirk. "We'll see if you can even hold your breath first. Come on, show me."

I held in a deep breath and then Ezio's hands left my back. It was my first instinct to start flailing around, so of course, I did, even though Ezio told me flailing around isn't the way to swim. And, of course, I sunk, but only for a split moment, Ezio reaching out and grabbing me before I could be completely engulfed.

"When I said hold your breath," he said with a teasing tone, "I meant that you'd have to hold your breath when actually floating too."

"Sh-shut up!" I stuttered. "You should know that water scares the living shit out of me."

Ezio rolled his eyes dramatically. "Although there's no reason as to why it scares you."

"It nearly took my life away!" I exclaimed. "Me plus water equals 'end of Narina's life'." Ezio stared down at me for a moment as he took in what I had just said.

"Fine, fine," Ezio allowed. "Just make sure that you keep your breath held."

We spent a good hour practicing floating, doing a mixture of the kicking and the floating and then finally trying to swim normally. Ezio kept at least a hand on me the whole time as if to reassure me that he wasn't going to let me drop. However, the lesson ended soon after and Ezio, handing me my dark vest while I was in the water so that I could hold it against myself, pulled me out of the water and even turned away so that I could dress myself more modestly. Ugo dropped by at that point and told Ezio that there was scouting to be done for the day. The sun was at high noon, so even though I was drenched with cold, smelly Venice water, the sun warmed me up sufficiently. Ezio told me that I was getting pretty damn good at swimming, told me to keep practicing, before he scaled the buildings with Ugo, disappearing out of my sight. After brushing my twisted wet hair away from my face, I made my way back to the workshop so that I could change into another set of clothes so I wasn't so cold and smelly. Ezio came back to the workshop later that night after apparently scouting was done. He sat and chatted with Leonardo for a while before giving both of us a goodnight and reminding me of swimming lessons tomorrow morning as he left. I went to bed early, wanting to catch up on the hours of sleep I had missed the night before.

* * *

But of course, even that was disturbed.

It was probably around midnight when I was lightly shaken awake, my name whispered along with the rhythm of the shakes. As I blinked away the sleep from my eyes rapidly, I could barely make out Ezio's face in the dim moonlight that streamed through my window, his golden eyes seemingly glowing in the dark. At first, I was at a loss as to why he was in my room, over me on my bed and I only stared up at him in confusion. He was fully armed and clothed, not like he usually is when he's just hanging out with me at which point he would shed a little bit of his armor and leave a few weapons back at the Guild. We stared at each other in a silence for a moment, myself slowly realizing the way that Ezio was sitting upon the edge of my bed, his left arm reaching out over me to touch my shoulder gently.

"What is it?" I finally whispered to him, reached up out from under the covers to that I could rub my eyes.

He smiled at my sleepy voice. "Antonio has ordered for Ugo, some of his men and I to secure the perimeter of the city. We're leaving right now to get started." He paused.

"And?" I yawned. "You have to wake me up to tell me this, why?

"There's no need for you to wake up early—there will be no swimming lessons this morning."

I finally understood, and I was actually sort of glad that I didn't have to get into the cold water in the cold air again.

"Oh, okay." I sat up in my bed, letting the covers crumple up around my waist. "Thanks for telling me." Ezio was suddenly chuckling, the hand that had reach out to shake me awake now covering his mouth as if he were hiding the laughs. I frowned. "What?"

He shook his head and removed his hand from his mouth, revealing his wide, attractive grin. "You're hair is a mess," he chuckled. "Look like you wrestled with screaming hellions if you ask me."

My hands immediately went to my hair, and sure enough, there was so many tangles and my hair was sticking up in odd angels (probably from the filth of the water). "Hey, be quiet!" I snapped, pressing my hair against my head. "You can't just walk into a woman's room in the middle of the night and expect her to be godly beautiful!"

Ezio's smirk softened into a more endearing one. "Narina, I never said that you _weren't_ beautiful." I paused and looked back up at him, my hands still pressed against my head. I registered his words slowly and they finally made a light blush warm my cheeks.

"Whatever," I mumbled, looking down at the blanket at my waist.

His hand was touching my cheek suddenly, cupping around my face, holding my face at such and angle that I had to look up into my assassin's golden eyes, so that I had to face his soft and heart-melting smile. "Even with hell-hair, you could still pull off being an angel."

I was the one to laugh this time. "Nice try, but your charming words don't work on me as well as they do your other women." I snorted. "Besides, an angel can't have 'hell-hair'. That's like a contradiction!"

Ezio shrugged, but was still smiling softly. "At least I tried." He turned to me fully, resting one of his legs upon the bed so that he could turn to face me, and took a hold of my face with both of his hands. He didn't give me much of a warning, either, but he was suddenly kissing me, pressing his lips into mine softly. I was all too aware that we were kissing _in a bed_, and I flushed at the thought of where this could go. But his kiss held no strain, and it ended all too soon. He broke the kiss, gave me another small peck, before letting me go and standing straight off of the bed. "I probably won't see you at all today," he told me. "Don't get into too much trouble." He turned to leave the room, stopped and turned back to look at me. "Oh, and don't try to swim by yourself either just yet, unless you convince Rosa to teach you."

I slightly nodded, my head still spinning softly from the kiss. I wasn't even planning on swimming, anyways. The water was too damn cold and it smelled way too bad. "Hey, be safe, you hear me? If you get hurt, I'll make it so you _wish_ you would have died."

Ezio grinned widely at me, his white smile seeming to radiate in the dim moonlight in my room. "Don't worry. I won't." His smile once again fell softer. "_Buonanotte_, Narina."

I smiled softly back, laying back down on my pillows. "_Buonanotte e buona fortuna_."

It took me a few moments after he left to calm my heart down enough so that I could go to sleep again.

* * *

Ezio had been right. I didn't see him at all the next day. I spent the entire day with Rosa, and even then we didn't do much. We just sat upon the roof of the guild, staring out over the cities tall roofs. We talked a lot. We got to know each other very well. She had apparently joined the guild not too long after Ugo had, and due to them being newcomers at nearly the same time, they had grown very close to each other. I smiled and suggested that it was like Ezio's relationship with me—we were best friends. Rosa just smiled at me knowingly and said "Yes, but I don't love Ugo."

I frowned. Ugo had told her about it all. I had looked away from her and replied "yes, well, consider it a blessing." It was hard to explain, but falling in love with your best friend was a lot easier than it sounded.

She then reluctantly went on to explain that Ugo and her had made a promise to each other a long time ago that they couldn't fall in love. I commented that it was a stupid promise—that you can't stop yourself from falling in love with someone. Rosa only smiled at that, and then the subject was dropped. I suspected that she wasn't telling me something about this so called promise with her and Ugo, but I didn't press on it.

Once the sun was sitting on the western horizon, I made my way back to the workshop. Leonardo then asked me to sit in a chair so that he could stare at me for a moment, which I thought was very, very weird. He even pressed his finger up against my cheek as if to measure the distance from the corner of my mouth to my eye. When I asked him what it was all for, he created an innocent smile and said, "It's a secret."

Oddly enough, I dreamed of Petruccio that night.

* * *

I didn't see Ezio the next day either. At least, not for the first half of it. I had gone to the Guild early in the morning hoping to catch the assassin before he started to run about the city, but, according to Ugo, I had just missed him. Ezio had gone to attend the so-called meeting of the templars, and they all waited for his return now. For the moment, though, the thieves were planning on moving into the Palazzo Dela Seta. Bigger base. More room. Besides, it wasn't like there was anyone there anyways. I helped them move a few things to the building, but they were waiting for the large movement for later days, when things weren't so hectic. It was probably around noon when Ezio walked into the courtyard of the Seta. Since I was busy helping Ugo organize some things, Rosa was the first to notice and acknowledge him. I turned soon enough to watch and un-hooded Ezio give her a one armed hug, saying something to her before Rosa called out to the walkways above, "Antonio! Ezio's here!"

By this time, I had walked over to both of them, questioning with my eyes of Ezio's serious look. "Hey," I greeted casually. "What's up?"

Ezio's brow furrowed and his frown deepened. "I messed up, Narina. I've made a mess of things."

A mixture of shock and confusion swept over me. "Wait, what? What do you mean?"

Antonio came down the stairs towards Ezio, who ignored my question and kept his gaze upon the master thief. "What is it, Ezio?" Antonio asked, clearly concerned. "Is everything alright?"

Ezio's face darkened. "Carlo Grimaldi, including the Babarigo's, are in league with the one they call 'The Spaniard'. They plan to murder the Doge and replace him with one of their own." Ezio huffed deeply. "They'll have everything in their hands—all of Venezia, the entire fleet, in their grasp!"

Antonio scoffed in disgust. "And they call _me_ a criminal?"

"So, you will help me?"

"I am on your side, brother. All my men will give you their support."

Rosa threw an arm around me, holding me to her side. "Don't forget the women—we're here too." Ezio finally smiled lightly at the two of us, opened his mouth to say something, but Antonio interrupted him.

"But Ezio, I must warn you that the Palazzo Ducale is the most heavily guarded building in entire _Venezia_. It will not be so easy this time."

"Where there's a will," I started to say.

"There's a way." Ezio finished for me, passing me a grin.

"_Bene._" Antonio replied with a knowing smile. "Let us go search out the building then. We will come up with a plan."

After a small argument with Ezio, it was finally decided that I was going to help scout out the area as well. Rosa wanted to go too, but she remembered that she had something else to do and left it at that. So, the three of us walked over to the Palazzo Ducale, keeping low of the guards. When we arrived, I was once again amazed (like I had been from other visits to the place) by how large the plaza before the building was. It was indeed grand, as should the Doge's building's plaza be. Town events obviously occurred there too, for there were many stalls about the edges and there was also a large platform in the middle, not unlike the one that was in Florence, but much larger and more decorated with silk covers.

Antonio devised a plan for us to execute. There were buildings behind and to the side of the Ducale, and we planned to see if they offered us of any help. If not, we'd scout the ground level to find if there was any way up the side of the building. I knew the reason that Ezio didn't want me to follow was because of the fact he didn't want me to get hurt OR to lengthen their mission, so I made sure that I was always just a simple step behind either Ezio, or Antonio. The first two stops were a failure—there was no way to get into the fucking Ducale! Antonio had been right—it _wasn't_ going to be easy.

We did find a spot, however, that allowed us to scale up the walls, thanks to some crates and carts next to the building. But even then, upon the rooftops, it was impossible to get into the courtyard of the Ducale—there was a fence the lined the inner perimeter of the rooftop, and there was no hope of scaling that. Before we could draw too much attention to ourselves, we climbed back down the building and gazed up at the wondrous building, tired, panting and sweating.

"_Impossibile!"_ Antonio exclaimed, throwing a hand at the building in disgust. "There's no way to breach it! The only way in is if...is if..."-he kicked at a flock of nearby birds- "a man sprouted wings and could fly!"

I put a hand on Antonio's arm to calm him. Having rage against a building would do us no good. Ezio was silent for a moment before he murmured "Yes...yes, if a man could fly!" He turned on his heel, an excited spring in his step.

"Where are you going?" Antonio and I asked at the same time.

Ezio threw a grin back at us from under his hood. "To go visit my friend, Leonardo."

My mind clicked in the pieces, and I knew exactly what Ezio had in mind. Then, I too became quite excited and followed after Ezio quickly. But there was indeed a damper on my excitement.

"Ezio, I know what you have in mind," I said to him as we walked down the streets. "But I don't think Leonardo has it finished yet—he has it hanging in the workshop as if he is still working on it."

Ezio shrugged. "We'll have to try it out—it's the only thing we have now."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "And you scoffed at it at first. How ironic."

* * *

For once, I was the one to barge rudely into Leonardo's shop. But the shop had become more of a home for me as well, so I didn't let it bother me that much. Ezio followed in closely behind me, reaching up to take off his hood, as if Leonardo's shop was too hot for him to wear it.

"Leonardo! I need your help." Ezio exclaimed, walking towards the man, who was at his shelves, looking up at the many books. The young painter looked back at us over his shoulder. Ezio adjusted his gaze to the large contraption in the corner on the room, hanging by strings and hooks. "Does it work?"

Leonardo was taken by surprised. "What? What are you asking?"

Ezio gestured to the glider. ".Work Leonardo? Can it actually fly?"

Leonardo's eyes landed on the glider too and then the whole room went silent for a moment. "I don't know," Leonardo finally whispered. "It's just an idea. A prototype...In any case, it isn't ready."

"Have you tested it out?"

"No!" Leonardo responded as if in shock. "Doing that would require jumping off of a building! Only a mad-man would be crazy enough to do so!" He walked off in a brainstorming session, stroking at his bearded chin.

Ezio and I exchanged a look before both grinning widely. "Leonardo," Ezio started, folding his arms, "I think you just found your mad man."

It took us a good while to hoist the machine up the tall tower Ezio was to jump off of. Probably a good hour, too. When we were finally upon the tower, the glider in position, Ezio huffed and turned to Leonardo.

"So, how does it work?"

Leonardo went over to the machine and ran his fingers against the wings. "Have you ever watched a bird in flight, Ezio? It's not about being lighter than the air around you, it's about balance and grace. You have to use your own weight to determine your elevation and direction! This glider helps you achieve this balance."

I felt like I had an input on the subject, although I couldn't quite grasp onto the words. Leonardo slapped a hand onto Ezio's back. "Good luck, Ezio."

When Ezio turned to me, I smiled and said, "Yes, good luck. Don't get yourself killed now."

He replied with a charming grin, a touch to my nose before he climbed up into the workings of the contraption. He lifted it up into his hold, testing out it's weight, adjusting is evenly before he took a running start and jumped off of the platform. I prick of fear bolted through me and I ran to the edge to watch Ezio plunge down before catching onto the wind, blowing up into the air for one glorious moment that made both Leonardo and I gasp with happiness, and then he did a nosedive into the building's rooftop next door.

I busted up laughing once I saw Ezio jump up out of the crashed glider and start swearing loudly. Leonardo seemed breathless beside me, so amazed that his idea and creation had actually worked—even if it only had for a moment. I hopped over to the other roof after I was done laughing at Ezio and helped drag the glider back to Leonardo's workshop.

Leonardo was ecstatic. "I can't believed it worked! You actually flew Ezio! You flew!"

Ezio, on the other hand, was very disgruntled. "_Si_, but not very far!"

"Well, of course not," Leonardo explained. "The machine wasn't built for distance." I was thrown into another fit of giggles, and Ezio threw a dark look at me. "Okay, okay," Leonardo amended, walking back over the construction plans of the glider. "Let me look over the plans and see if there isn't a way to extend the flight duration."

"Ezio!" We all turned to the sound of the voice. Antonio had ran into the shop. "Ezio, my men tell me that Grimaldi has the poison. We must hurry."

"Antonio, this is Leonardo, grand master inventor of this..." He threw an angry gesture to the glider. "This _pezzo di merda!_"

I reached over and slapped Ezio's arm, glaring at him and telling him that was no way to behave. Besides, he had no idea how much heart and soul Leonardo had put into the machine, and it would probably hurt the sensitive artist to hear such a thing. He gave me a 'not know, Narina' look.

"Hey!" Leonardo retorted from his desk. "It's not the machines fault!" Leonardo walked around the table. "It's mine." He looked back down to the paper on his desk. "I've checked and recheck my blueprints..."He suddenly took a hold of the paper and crumpled it up into a ball. "It's just impossible! There's no way to extend the flight... Ah, _che idea del cazzo!_ (crazy fucking idea!)" He exalted, throwing the ball into the flames of hearth warming his shop then fell back into the chair in front of the fire.

Ezio and I exchanged a look, knowing that it was a rare sight indeed to see Leonardo so worked up and upset about something. He usually was a happy-go-lucky sort of guy. We'd have to find yet another way in—but we didn't have the time to. We were practically screwed. Then, as soon as Ezio and I looked at each other, Leonardo suddenly clasped his hands together. "Ah, Eureka!" He exclaimed. "Of course! Genius!" He sprang up from the seat and walked back over the the table, looking over a map.

"What's going on?" Antonio asked Ezio, who shrugged in response.

"Fire is the key!" Leonardo said in an excited but hushed tone. "We need fire for this." I saw Ezio's brow raise up in confusion.

But my brain clicked. "Because heat rises!" I exclaimed, getting exactly what Leonardo had come up with.

"Exactly! Now, if we could get heat under the wings, the heated air will lift the machine and be able to carry you farther into the city—it'll be able to carry you all the way to the Ducale!"

Ezio threw his hands up in exasperation. "Leonardo, what good is one little fire going to do?"

Leonardo looked up from the map he was looking at to Ezio. "Not one fire Ezio, but a dozen! Spread out all across the city! Just enough to carry you as far as you need."

I nodded up to Ezio with a smile, encouraging him that this was going to work. "But how..." Antonio trailed off. "Ah! Of course! My men will be able to lay the fires across the city." He paused. "But what about the guards?"

Ezio took a step towards the desk. "I can take care of that part. Don't worry about it."

Now getting into the plan, Antonio looked down at the map along with Leonardo. "I'll give my men the order to follow in after you, to hold the locations." He grinned like a small boy would. "They'll light the spots with fire once the sun goes down on _Venezia_."

"Then we must make haste," I put in. "We've not much time."

* * *

Ezio set out to clear the appointed areas immediately while Antonio went to talk to his men at the Seta building. In the meanwhile, I helped Leonardo drag the glider back up to the tower, this time taking even longer without the help of Ezio's well built arms and legs. However, when we did get it back on the tower, we still had about an hour left until the sun would go down. Leonardo took the time to fix up the glider from Ezio's last fail and just to improve it over all. I watched in silence, gazing out over the vast town of Venice, able to see a string of Antonio's men amongst the rooftops throughout the city, gathering up materials to start a fire. I took a deep breath, and was surprised to feel a bit of fear in the deepest pit of my stomach.

The sun finally set over Venice, and when it did, a whole new glow erupted from the city. The fires were lit and they were like twinkling stars across the rooftops. It felt almost magical and surreal, but the biting night cold reminded me otherwise that this was serious business.

We waited only a few more minutes until Antonio joined us upon the roof, and then another set of minutes until Ezio popped up over the edge. While Leonardo and Antonio talked about the machine for a moment, Ezio came and stood by me at the edge of the building.

We sat in a silence for a moment. "It's really pretty," I whispered, keeping my eyes on the flames. "I only wish we could have seen something like this for another reason."

Ezio nodded in agreement, and then his hand wrapped around mine at my side, entrapping my fingers in his hold. I looked up at him, expecting him to say something, but he just kept his gaze out over the city, his hand gripping tighter.

"Ezio." We both turned to look back at Leonardo, letting go of each others hands. "You'll want to fly from fire to fire across the city. The heat of each fire should lift you back up into the air again."

"Got it." Ezio nodded.

"Be careful, though," Antonio put in. "There's archers on the roofs tonight. Avoid their arrows, or else it'll be a short trip."  
Ezio frowned. "I wish there were some way I could use my sword with this thing..." He put a hand on the glider softly.

Leonardo chuckled. "Well, you're legs will be free. If you can get close enough without getting an arrow to the head, perhaps you could kick them off the roof."

"Nice," Ezio said with a smile.

"It's now or never, my friend," Antonio said quietly, reminding us again that there was a time limit.

"_Bene_."

The fear that had been in my stomach suddenly doubled...no, tripled and I found myself blindly reaching out to grab onto Ezio's sleeve. He turned to look back at me, and I felt an odd wave of tears in my eyes.

"You come back safe and sound, you hear?"

Ezio's eyes softened as he faced me fully. The gold orbs bore into mine and I couldn't help but fling myself upon him, letting my hands go into his hood and press against his warm, broad neck. Pressing my lips against his rough jaw line, I whispered "Please be careful." I knew I had laughed at Ezio earlier when he crashed...but something about this whole idea made me feel uneasy.

Ezio wasn't going to settle for the cheek kiss. He took a hold of my face and gave me a quick, but hard and full kiss.

"I promise I'll be okay," he whispered softly against my lips.

"Ezio," Antonio said again, and I suddenly remembered that Ezio and I weren't alone. "We don't have time for this."

I let go of Ezio, and, pressing my lips together, nodded at him and held back the tears from forming in my eyes. Without another word, Ezio climbed up into the contraption, steadied himself as he had before, then gave me another reassuring look with a small smile and a charming wink before he ran off the edge of the platform.

It was amazing to watch him—a human being—fly across the city as such! Leonardo had been right—the flames heats rose him higher above the city, his dark figure looking as a giant demon in the sky. But as awe-striking it was, I found myself nauseated with worry. Even when Antonio had declared that he was upon the Ducale now, I felt a foreboding dread overcome me.

Something bad was going to happen, and I knew it.

* * *

**Dun dun duunn! :3 Something bad indeed!  
Seriously, I want to thank Dragon's-Maidens for pushing me for this chapter... I actually enjoyed writing it! :3**

OH! Oh yes. :3 I got some wonderful Fanart for this story, and I absolutly adore it! :3 Take a look!  
rooster-crow(.)deviantart(.)com/#/d315sag (Get rid of the Bracketts)  
**  
Thanks for reading, and please review! :D**


	22. Numbing Truth

**-Whoa...you know what's really scary? I actually considered dropping this story.  
****-Back on a happier note...um...well, I got to see one of my really good friends again. :3 It was really good to see him after so long!  
****-Okay, what the fuck? Why did no one tell me or point it out to me? The sea by Venice isn't the Mediterranean Sea! It's the freaking Adriatic Sea! *headdesk * I feel stupid now...  
****  
Thanks for the reviews!:  
****Zeta Adele  
****SporkedGamer  
****Acro111  
****RyuuRaiden  
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****DeathDragon130  
****Dragon's-Maidens  
****Keely Matthews  
****Aarie  
****HeavensWeatherHellsCompany  
****lightan117  
****Ezio  
****Kagekitsonegal  
****asINwonderland  
****jazz-sparks  
****irockblack69**

* * *

_I miss all the little things.  
__I never thought that they'd mean everything to me._

– **Lifehouse, 'From Where You Are'**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Numbing Truth**

With Ezio gone into the Ducale, there was no more that we could do except wait. Leonardo and Antonio climbed down off the building before I did, and I was staring so intently at the vanishing point that Ezio disappeared at. The more and more time that passed by, the more and more I wasn't liking this idea. Like from an earlier occasion, there was a lead ball in my stomach only this time, it wasn't for love. It was fear. Confusion. Angst. Terror. I shuddered at the thought when I realized what the only thing was that could rend me asunder so horribly. Ah, how I prayed that the tiny, little hope I had within me was right!

Antonio finally called up to me, telling me that we were to wait back at the base. The wind caressed my cheeks softly, as if apologizing. Slowly, I climbed down the building and followed Antonio back to Seta.

* * *

I've always found it odd that whenever I felt the need to sleep, I couldn't, and vice-verse. Rosa tried to avoid sleep with me that night, to wait up for Ezio, for his triumphant return. But alas, I found myself shaken lightly awake from the seat in the entry hall of the Seta building, the bright morning sun peering in through his windows. Even in my grogginess, even as I blinked away the sleeping sand from my eyes, I could see and hear...and feel that something was wrong. Ugo's eyes were oddly placid, I noticed, as I woke up to him hovering over me. Although I heard what sounded like muffled mumbles, I kept my awakening gaze upon Ugo's.

"What?" I whispered, hoping that if I stared hard enough at Ugo, I would be able to find the answer for myself. Suddenly, I remembered what I had been trying to stay awake for and I sat up immediately, causing myself to gain a small dose of vertigo. I raised my hand to my forehead to stop the spinning. "What's going on?" The room had fallen silent, as if they were all watching me raise from my slumber. Letting my hand drop, I looked around the room at all the people around me. Ugo was sitting on the edge of the seat that had been occupied by Rosa the night before, staring at me with his empty and untelling eyes. My gaze shifted onto the couple of men who were standing at the door, their eyes adverted down to the ground, avoiding any contact with me what-so-ever. I'm not sure what it was when I stared at the two men, but I knew almost immediately that something was horribly wrong. And that's when I heard the rough and jagged intake of breath to my left. So slowly, my gaze moved across the room, my heart thudding with dread and my stomach flipping tightly. I found Rosa and Antonio standing in the corner of the room turned away from me, Antonio's hand rested upon her shoulder, but Rosa was turned slightly away from him, tilting her head at such an angle like she was afraid of him touching her. I realized small details, like her hands were balled into fists, and her shoulders were set strongly apart, but her body would quiver ever so slightly.

Ugo moved in my peripheral and I looked at him again, feeling my face harden ever so slightly. "Ugo," I whispered tightly. "What the hell is going on?"

A pause. Ugo looked over at Antonio, waited for a second then looked back down at me. He opened his mouth slightly, but nothing came out. He quickly cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Narina," he started, his voice catching oddly. I finally pushed myself up off the couch and stood squarely in front of him, trying to get a good glance at his gaze again.

He seemed to be struggling for words, and I made a sweep of the large entry hall with my eyes again. "Did Ezio come back?" I asked softly, not seeing him anywhere in the room.

"Narina." I looked back over to Ugo, who was staring more defiantly at me now. "Ezio...the plan failed."

My eyes widened, and the lead ball in my stomach grew heavier. "What?"

"They managed to kill the Doge," Antonio put in, and when I looked over at him, he was approaching me, walking away from Rosa. "By the time Ezio had even gotten into the Ducale, it was already too late."

"Not only was our effort futile, but Ezio was blamed for the death of the Doge. And for Carlo, which, as far as we're concerned, he _did_ kill Grimaldi," Ugo continued, causing me to look back at the young thief.

I sighed and lowered my gaze. "_Merda..._."

"Narina," Ugo started again, then paused until I was looking back at him. "The Palazzo Ducale is the most heavily guarded building in all of _Venezia_." I frowned at him, knowing that I had been told this before, and then I suddenly didn't want to be listening to him anymore. I started to shake my head, and when I think back upon it, I must have already somehow knew what I was about to be told, and I was trying to make myself stop from hearing it. "The guards heard Grimaldi when the cowardly bastard screamed out that Ezio had killed the Doge. So after Ezio dealt with Grimaldi, all those guards must have came after him and..."Ugo paused, glancing over at Rosa in the corner, who had been still and quiet for a while now. I found myself not able to respond—something inside of me had went numb and I was distracted with trying to figure out as to why. Ugo was suddenly holding his head with both of this hands, his fingers pushing under his cap to twirl into his hair. "Fuck, why do I have to be the one to tell her!"

"Tell me what?" I asked Ugo impatiently. Out of nowhere, Rosa busted out in sobs, her once strong figure growing limp and shaking. I snapped my gaze to her and watched her in muted horror as Antonio put a hand upon her arm. "Tell me what!" I yelled out to them, Antonio only giving me a small glance before adjusting it down to his feet. The numbing feeling within me blanched out slightly, threatening to dull my entire body's sense. I turned back to Ugo with a snap of my head, but the fear and the panic within me caused my breath and voice to drop. "What...?" I whispered shakily.

Ugo rubbed his forehead wearily, avoiding my gaze. "The guards fought with Ezio for a while—nothing that he couldn't have handled, I imagine." He paused again. "Narina, I'm not sure what happened."

Ah, the numbness. It started to spread. "What do you...mean?" I whispered, my eyes starting to slowly widen.

Ugo was shaking his head again, but he slowly whispered, "The guards of the Ducale...they speak of the Assassin's blood upon their hands." I watched Ugo's Adam's apple bob up and down as we swallowed. "Narina, we've searched the city all morning long. There's no trace of Ezio anywhere. There's no record of him leaving Venice." A pause. "They must have dumped his body into the waters."

By then, the numbness had filled me and I felt nothing at his words. I just stared at him—or really, nothing—and quietly said "Are you saying that he's dead?"

Ugo bent his head from me, as if he were suddenly ashamed. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

The room was quiet, aside from Rosa's small and now soft sobs. I continued to stare at the invisible spot on Ugo's face for a long moment. Why hadn't the words torn me apart yet? Why wasn't I upset? I was barely aware of myself shaking my head slowly back in forth. "You're lying," I whispered to him, not really focusing on his gaze.

The young thief looked slowly up at me, his eyes tightly reigned and his mouth stretched into a straight, thin line. "Why would...why would I lie about something like that Narina," he whispered lowly.

My head was still shaking lightly back and forth, but there was no more accusations behind it. The realization finally started to settle in.

He's dead. For a small instant, I felt like everything in the world had completely been wiped clean from the earth—no, like there was no Earth, just a large empty space. The pain in my heart, it seeped deep within my core, flowing through my veins with every beat, that constant sound nailing the same thought in my head: _Ezio's dead, Ezio's dead, Ezio's dead.  
_An empty numbness struck me quickly, but I wouldn't have felt it; the shock was almost too much. I would have never noticed the tears on my face, my nails digging themselves in my palms, breaking skin, piercing vessels. The world was empty, it forever would be without him to be a part of it.  
Being near the thieves gave me an odd feeling, as if my welcome was overstayed. Ezio hung around them constantly; I couldn't be near Leonardo, the man would be overcome with grief. Hugging myself, I let myself fall to my knees, my world exploding into nothingness. It was almost as if I was going through the process of losing it all again, only this time, I welcomed it. I wanted to forget everything. I didn't want to live like this. However, all that I wanted to be gone; the emptiness, the numbness, they nestled themselves deep within me. Everything besides the shock and the nothingness seemed to have been placed aside.

Everything was quiet, everything was still even though I could hear Rosa screaming at Antonio, pushing him, punching as hard as she could even though her own tears, her own emotions overpowered her. They dumped him in the water. Why is everybody I know and love dying and going to water? I began to despise water, hating that I was named after something that now held the bodies of those I loved.

I felt suddenly lost. What was I to do without him? How was I supposed to live without him? He had been the one at my side for my entire remembered life, and now he was so suddenly ripped from out beneath me, violently taken from my reach. I couldn't adapt to dealing with the empty place that was once him. It hit me so very hard. I could no longer argue with him. I couldn't laugh with him anymore. I couldn't observe his graceful movements, roll my eyes at his charming grins, run my fingers across his stubbly jaw, kiss his scarred lips...none of it anymore.

And I hadn't even had the chance to tell him that I loved him.

Oh God, why had I waited to confess of it to him? Why had I waited so long just for it to end up to be too late!

I finally found my shaking hands pressed against my eyes, my bottom lip sucked into my mouth while my teeth clamped tightly down upon it, as if to stop the quivering. I found myself in a sense that I was floating; the world falling away from under me as my body shuddered violently.

In a strange burst, I saw images of a hooded man kneeling before me, his strong and caring hands outstretched towards me. No. No, he wasn't Ezio. _Don't touch me_. I pushed away the image, but as I did, another image took it's place, as if there was a slide show appearing in my mind. A crowd was before me, their cheers and laughter all aimed towards the large platform that was placed before all of us. Upon the platform were several men, whose smiles, unlike the other people's around me, seemed to me aimed at me. The focus panned up to behind the men upon the platform, and I could feel myself waver and shudder at the sight of a man hanging by a rope around his neck, his dark eyes glazed with his black robes twisting in the breeze.

I snapped my eyes open against my clenched fists pressed against my eyes, and I suddenly felt sick, like I was about to vomit. And then I screamed loudly, trying to make the pain go away. I half expected one of the thieves in the room, most likely Ugo, to reach down and try to comfort me. And in a way, I was glad when none of them did. I didn't want their sympathy. Hugs and apologies weren't going to bring Ezio back.

It wasn't going to bring back my Assassin.

* * *

The numbness never went away. For four days, I sat in a daze at one of the many windows in the Seta building. The tears had stopped flowing after a few minutes of sitting in the entry hallway, and after that, I just fell into a bottomless pit and I kept falling farther and farther in as the days dragged on. It was like the life had been sucked from me, and I was turned into an emotionless, empty, walking shell.

I hadn't eaten in days, and I had only been able to drink the little bit of water Ugo was able to get into my mouth. If I hadn't been in such shock, I would have felt bad for making both Ugo and Antonio worry so much. No matter how hard my stomach may have yelled at me to get it some food, I never heart it or, if I did, I paid it no heed. I knew that if I ate, I would end up throwing it up anyways.

I didn't want to be torn down farther, but, even so, all my thoughts were of Ezio, going over and over all the years that I had spent with him. The sad thing about it is when I tried to force a specific thing into being, like his voice or the way his gold eyes would light up with a smirk, the image would somehow slip through my fingers and I was no longer able to envision them. By the fourth day, I wasn't able to even imagine what Ezio's face looked like anymore.

No. Why did I have to lose it all now?

Everything happens for a reason? Then why?

I couldn't bring myself, nor find the energy, to go to Leonardo's. Although it is thought that no one wants to suffer alone, seeing someone else upset about Ezio made me angry. They didn't know Ezio. No one knew Ezio like I did.

* * *

Five days after the death of the Doge, Grimaldi and the notorious Assassin, Antonio took a stance at the side of me, staring down upon me for a small moment. I wouldn't look him in the face; I couldn't look anyone in the face anymore.

"Narina, I think it's best you left Venice." I turned my head towards him more, but still not allowing an emotion to flit through me. "I'm pretty sure Ezio would want you safe." I took a sharp intake of air at the name. "You're a target now, Narina."

Something about the way Antonio said the words made me realize that the whole world wasn't going to stop just because Ezio was gone and I wanted to live in my memories. I was suddenly faced with the strong truth, and I felt my eyes well up with tears.

"Wh...what are you talking about?" I whispered lowly.

Antonio reached down and took a hold of my hand. "Our scouts have reported that there is a group of men among a man named Borgia. They were discussing of to move out of Venice until Marco Babarigo is placed as Doge." Antonio paused. "However, there was a young man among them that claimed that they couldn't leave the city without...well, you."

My eyes were locked on a cloud through the window, the tears now gone. "They plan to kill me too, then?"

Antonio surprised me by saying, "No. They plan to use you."

For the first time in a long while, I looked up into Antonio's eyes. "Use me? Use me for what?"

"They did not say." Antonio leaned down to me further and lowered his voice. "They only claimed that such a reason why you're so important to them cannot be discussed openly."

I frowned at that and looked away form Antonio again. I leaned forward in my chair and placed my elbows on the edge of the window sill, allowing my hands to reach back and hold my face. "Just hand me over, then." I sighed. "I don't want any one else to die."

Antonio sighed and left me alone at the window. As I sat there alone, I felt the heavy burden of reality seep into my acknowledgment. For the first time in about a week, I stood from the chair to seek out Ugo.

He was in the courtyard, ordering around some men. The thieves had been moving into Seta for about a week now, the movement more complicated than first anticipations told us. Now that the Templars held a very vast power above us all, it was harder to go about as we normally did.

Ugo saw me coming as I walked out into the courtyard. His brows lifted as if he was surprised to see me outside. I walked to his side and looked up around the Seta building. The thieves had placed some banners streaming down from the balconies, flapping in the wind. Most of the courtyard was filled with boxes and other many things that the thieves had also had back in the old bases' courtyard. By this time, Rosa came walking through the entryway, spotted Ugo and I, and walked over to us.

As she discussed something with Ugo quietly, I watched her silently and realized how much I admired Rosa. Although she had seemed even more upset about the whole Ezio thing than I had, she was holding together nicely. She was strong enough to put aside the sadness and keep things moving on. How much I wish I could wield the power to move on so easily!

"Narina?" I looked up to Rosa, who was staring down at me with controlled eyes. "Antonio told you about what we've heard these past few days, right?"

I slowly nodded. "About me being a target?"

The two thieves exchanged a quick glance of slight shock before Rosa continued. "Right. Since we're not sure what the hell they're planning, and there's no way that little twerp is going to talk about it with them where we can hear them—."

"Wait, who?" I asked.

Ugo stepped in. "His name is Carliaes. Unfortunately, none of them have spoken his first name and all we could dig up on the Carliaes family is that they reside in _Firenze_."

My brow furrowed harshly, and my eyes fell down to the ground. Why did that name sound so familiar?

"So," Ugo's voice brought me out of my haze. "When do you want to leave?"

I looked up at him. "Leave to where?"

"Ugo is going to be taking you back to Monteriggioni," Rosa explained. "I'm much too busy to go along, Antonio has a guild to lead, and Leonardo...well, he won't be leaving Venice anytime soon." She paused. "Besides, Ugo's the only one who knows where he's really going."

I felt a little skeptical about it. "Ugo's taking me all the way back to Monteriggioni? How the hell does he know where that is?" It actually felt a sort of good to be a little bit like my old self, but it didn't make me feel better to think about how much Ezio was the reason for my 'Old self'.

Ugo gave me a small smirk. "I'm not originally from Venice, Narina. I'm Tuscan-born—I know _exactly_ where Monteriggioni is."

There was a small pause. "Fair enough," I allowed, pouting lightly.

Ugo raised a competitive brow. "When do you want to leave?"

Pausing, I looked all around me at the Seta building, imagining the vast city of Venice beyond the walls. I hadn't been in the city for very long, and yet, I felt so attached to it. Perhaps because it was the city where I realized I loved? I sighed and reminded myself that it was also the city that I had lost that very same strong emotion.

"Whenever we can, I guess."

"Good." Ugo patted Rosa on the back, whispered something to her, watched her run off before facing me again. "Go get your stuff ready. We leave at sundown."

I felt my face twist into disgusted confusion. "We leave _tonight_? Why not tomorrow morning?"

Ugo raised a finger to his lips as if he were to tell me to keep my mouth shut of a secret. "We don't need the men who are seeking you to follow behind us. We leave at night so, if they do follow, we'll be a step ahead."

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. We were both silent for a moment. "Ugo, what the hell happened?" I whispered, looking down at the courtyard ground. "I don't understand how it had to come down to this." I looked up into his suddenly placid eyes. "Our plan failed, I'm on the run from Templars, and Ezio..." I stopped and inhaled a shaky breath. "And Ezio...isn't here to help me."

Ugo didn't miss a beat. "No, but I am. I'm not meaning any offense by this Narina, but you're in serious danger. You need to suck it up and get the hell out of Venice with me."

If I was a brat, I would have thrown a tantrum and started to cry because Ugo was being mean. If I was weak, I would have called him out on being uncaring of my feelings and stormed off. I'm not saying that I'm not a weak brat, because I feel that I am. But I set aside all my impulses and took a moment to consider the fact that Ugo was right. I couldn't sulk for the rest of my life, even though I felt I had no life without my best friend. I was still alive, and I needed to make sure it stayed that way. For Ezio.

Ugo ran by Leonardo's for me to get me a change of clothes while I strayed through the markets to buy supplies for our trip. Besides our sleep on the boat, there would be no break in our journey. Ugo was concerned that our enemies may have anticipated our departure and are already ready to pursue us.

The familiar numbness once again grew dominate in me as I packed up out few things, preparing to head out towards the docks to catch a boat back to Forli. Rosa helped me in a silence, and the cloud of uncertainty and despair hovered over us, thickening the air around us. To an outsider, it may seem like Rosa was the one most upset about this whole situation. Her eyes had been puffy and red for the past week, suggesting that she mourned away from the sight of other, and her movements were light and careful. There was actually a moment where I had to stop and actually wonder if she was indeed more stressed about it than I was. However, the numbness inside me never allowed me to actually confirm that.

The sun was dipping dangerously close towards the mountains. We paid the price to board the boat. Both Antonio and Rosa saw us off, Antonio telling us to be careful and to remember that we were in grave danger. Before I could climb up the ramp to the boat, Rosa threw a hug on me and told me to be strong, that everything would be okay.

I replied, "Maybe for you." I gave Antonio a hug and thanked him softly before I followed Ugo up onto the boat, taking our stuff down into the cabins. We didn't return to the deck, and waited a good while until the boat started to move. Aside from the loud creaking noises of the moving boat, everything in the cabin was quiet. Ugo was laying on his cot with a distant look in his eyes, his arms folded behind his head, his legs spread out across the covers. I sat upon the edge of my bed, staring blankly at my folded hands that hung between my legs.

Ugo broke the silence. "You hungry?"

I wasn't sure if it was because I had finally came to terms with everything that I finally realized that I _was_ hungry. I nodded slowly, and Ugo stood up from the bed and walked over to our pack, reaching in and pulling out a loaf of bread. With a second reach, he pulled out a half of block of cheese.

"Think you can hold it down?"

I smiled lightly and nodded. "Let's hope." He broke off a piece of the bread for me, using one of his many knives strapped to his waist to slice me a thin sheet of cheese. I took the bread with the cheese placed over the top from him gently, thanking him in a whisper. Even though bread and cheese is something so simple, it was the best tasting thing to me so suddenly. I finished off my piece quickly and asked for another.

Ah. I was slowly going back to the way I was before, I noticed as I bit into my second piece of bread. Ugo helped himself to some and put the bread and cheese back into the pack we had brought. Then he placed himself upon his cot again, munching on his dinner slowly.

I watched him for a moment as I finished my own meal. "Ugo?" He looked over at me, raising his brow as if to ask 'what?'. "You said you were Tuscan-born," I started quietly. "How'd you end up in Venice?"

Ugo didn't answer until after he finished his slab of bread and brushed the crumbs from his face. "Strangely enough, like you, it all started in _Firenze_ for me."

My brow furrowed. "Well, that explains a lot."

Ugo laughed and continued. "I was a poor beggar boy, wandering from town to town to try and make a living. My parents had died when I was but a small child, and I had learned how to survive on my own." He paused and chuckled under his breath. "Maybe that's why I said 'no' to Paola the first time she offered to give me shelter."

My eyes widened. "You know Paola?"

"She's a wonderful woman," Ugo said with a smirk. "Instead of taking me into her arms, though, she told Antonio about me. She had seen how determined I was, how able I was to fight for my own. She knew with a little bit of training, I'd make a good thief."

I sighed and pushed myself back further onto my bed, pulling my knees up so I could hold them to me. "Paola has a good eye like that, doesn't she?" A memory from years ago came to me suddenly of how she had smiled at me and told me she had a sharp eye for Templars. Perhaps that was her specialty? Ezio had Eagle Vision. Paola had...Potential Vision?

"So?" I asked. "What happened after that?"

Ugo shrugged. "Paola took me under her wing for a while. She was such a young woman back then, I was surprised she was strong enough to do it. After a few months under her care, she shipped me off to Venice to begin my training with Antonio."

I titled my head. "You went along with it willingly?"

A smile. "No. Not at first. I felt as though they were trying to control my life and I didn't like it one bit. I was a bit rebellious—ran away a few times." He looked over at me. "That's how I know where Monteriggioni is."

"You ran all the way from _Firenze _to Monteriggioni?" I asked in astonishment.

"_Si_" Ugo shrugged. "I was a fighter. My free will was beyond their reach. But finally, I allowed them to steer me into the direction of Venice, a part of Italy I hadn't seen. My curiosity overpowered my hardheadedness for the time being." There was a small silence. "It was the best thing that could have been done for me. I have a family now, my brothers, a place to call home."

"Don't forget Rosa," I whispered. "She's there for you too."

Ugo was quiet, staring up at the low ceiling of the cabin. "Rosa..." he started slowly. "She was so fragile when she first came to the Guild, her hand in Antonio's hand. I had been training for about a month before she came, and so, we were both newbies now." He smiled. "Took me months to break through the shell she had put around her. I finally was able to see her true side, her fiery, untamed side. She had lost her parents only months before finding Antonio. She was Venice-born, unlike me, so she was able to show me around the city until I knew the streets and buildings like the back of my hand."

"How old were you two at this point?"

Ugo thought back on it. "I want to say she was fourteen and I was fifteen."

"How long have you guys been in the guild?"

"Six years." Ugo laughed. "We've been friends for six years." I froze for a moment, suddenly wondering where I had heard those words before... "I'm surprised we haven't killed each other in that amount of time. God knows how much we fight amongst each other."

I leaned my chin against my knees, the weird feeling disappearing. "Oddly enough, fighting like that usually brings you closer. That's how Ezio and I were." Ugo looked up at me quietly, his dark eyes piercing into mine. We stared into each others eyes before I looked away. "Cherish her, Ugo. You don't know when things might suddenly change." With that I leg go of my knees and adjusted myself so that I was laying back on my cot, facing away from Ugo. I wasn't tired, but I didn't want to talk anymore. I probably laid there for hours until I finally fell asleep.

* * *

Ugo woke me up with a light shake the next morning, telling me that we were there. We gathered what few things we had and went up on deck, preparing to dock at Forli. I frowned when I looked upon the city, remembering the last time I had been here. After we were off the boats, we used the full money pouch Antonio had given us to buy some horses so we could head out for Monteriggioni immediately. We trotted around the city at a slow pace, giving us time to eat a bit more bread before we wrapped it back up and beckoned our steeds to gallop up into the Italian mountains.

I forgot how much it hurt to ride a horse all day long in summer-like weather. By the time we had reached the other side of the mountains, I was all sweaty, my thighs hurt to the extreme, and I think I was getting saddle sores. Ugo hadn't let us have a break the entire day; the only relief I ever got was when he agreed that we could slow down a bit. If we were being followed, then I could only pray that whomever was pursuing us would be in as much pain as I was.

When I saw that the sun was dipping in the western horizon, I gave out an exasperated groan. We hadn't even reached Florence yet! We still had a long way to go until we got to Monteriggioni!

Ugo gave me hope with a sudden claim, "_Ehi!_ Look there Narina! Florence is in sight!"

I looked up quickly to where he was pointing, and sure enough, in the far distance, there was Florence, it's tall buildings reaching up into the sky, a warm glow reflecting off of it's red-tiled roofs. I smiled in awe—it had been far too long since I had seen the warmer colors of western Italy. Now I wanted to ride faster—to get to the beauty quickly. But I reminded myself the Ugo probably wasn't going to let me stop in the city; he was so worried about this whole thing, he probably wouldn't even let me look at the city. So, it shocked me, when we had gotten considerably closer to the city, that he turned and asked me if I wanted to stop by for any reason.

My initial reaction was to say 'yes! God yes, let's stop!'...but I told him no. There wasn't anything for me in Florence; I could visit the Auditore 'grave site' again, but I don't think I was ready for that. We could visit Paola on account that we both knew her, but that would probably take up a lot of precious time. Besides, Florence held a lot of memories that I wasn't ready to face yet.

We road on, willing to take on the moonlit journey.

Being on a floating Island for even only a couple of weeks made me forget how beautiful Italy's vast plains were. The rolling hills, the beautiful pastures...they were all so breathtaking! When was this beautiful country going to stop amazing me?

The sky darkened aside from the bright, round moon that rose to the apex, lighting our path nicely. Our poor horses felt the wear of the day on themselves, there nostrils flaring and there mighty chests heaving with labored breaths. We decided to take a slower pace on the way to Monteriggioni, to give the beasts some time to rest a bit. Ugo kept up a conversation the whole way, although I have no idea how he managed to do that. He just seemed to have all these conversations in his head for situations just like this. Most of the time, I wouldn't even listen to him and just mumble "yeah" over and over again.

It was a little bit after midnight, I'm guessing, when we arrived at Monteriggioni gates. I was about to fall asleep in my saddle, and Ugo helped me down. The stable boy working the night watched me carefully with a small smile, obviously recognizing me. I paid him no heed and waited until Ugo had finished tying up the horses.

"Thanks for bringing me Ugo." I yawned. "You staying here for a couple of days before you head back?"

Ugo nodded. "I was planning on going back over to Florence after a few days to catch up with Paola before heading back to Venice."

"I see." I gestured towards the small town. "Shall we?"

A set of fear hit me as we walked up towards the villa. How the hell was I supposed to tell Mario, Maria and Claudia about Ezio? Oh God, I could already see the devastation upon Mario's face! Claudia would kill _me_ for letting Ezio be killed! Oh God...Maria...Maria would be ruined. She'd die from the shock of her last son being killed. Could I keep it a secret? No, that was out of the question. They deserved to know.

I sighed. "I'll tell them first thing in the morning," I mumbled.

Ugo looked down at me. "If you want, I can tell them."

Oh, I could imagine _that_ going well. Ugo would get all the crap then they'd all turn on me because I was too ashamed to tell them. They'd blame me. I shook my head, ignoring the dread in my stomach. "No, I'll tell them. It's probably better for them to hear it from me anyways."

By now, we had reached the large staircase that led up into the Villa's training yard and ring. I swallowed back the uncertainty, the fear, the sadness, and I suddenly wondered where the numbness was now. I lead Ugo up the stairs slowly, with every step I took there was another memory of the years I had spent here with my white clad assassin, and I could almost see the two of us running down the steps laughing as we raced to the bottom. I closed my eyes and pressed my lips together. Not here. Not now. There's a time to have a breakdown, and here wasn't the place.

The front door opened with a loud creak as I pushed it open, surprised that Mario didn't lock up the Villa at night. We took light steps into the room, which was still lit by candles hanging high upon the walls. I took a moment to gaze upon the entire room, a strong nostalgia washing over me as I stared over the familiar white, decorated walls, the grand staircase, the brightly colored tapestries and rugs. Had it really only been a few weeks ago that Ezio and I both walked across this same floor?

With a shake of my head, I reminded myself that Ugo was with me and I turned to him. "Want a quick tour?" I whispered.

He rubbed at his eyes, indicating that he was tired, but he nodded. "Sure, why not."

I peeped my head into the Architect room, and saw that Claudia wasn't at the desk. I sighed with relief and walked into the room, whispering to Ugo what it's purpose was. I dragged him around the bottom floor for a while, showing him my room, his room that he could stay in, Mario's office (which as empty, too), the armor and weapon rooms. Then we took the tour upstairs. I skipped Claudia, Maria, and Mario's rooms, not wanting to accidentally wake them up and then have to explain myself. However, I did allow myself to walk over the way over Mario's office, around the corner into the small hall that led to Maria's room, and then facing the small stair way that would lead to Ezio's room.

There was a moment that I just stared at the stairs quietly, ignoring Ugo's questioning gaze. The candles that lined the hallway were still lit, lightly up the way nicely, as if beckoning me to walk forward. Maybe...just maybe...I started to walk up the stair without a word, not caring if Ugo followed or not. The footsteps echoing behind me told me that he was following. Slowly, so slowly, I walked up the steps and my hearts' beats increased ten-fold when I caught sight of the ladder that led up into the room above.

I took a hold of the ladder with a shaky and suddenly clammy hand, and then I stopped. What would I do if he was up there? What would I do if he wasn't? What exactly was I expecting? Slowly, I ascended the ladder, pulling myself hand over hand. Ugo stayed down at the bottom, obviously sensing that this wasn't a part of the tour.

Before I popped up over the edge into the room, I stopped and took a deep breath, preparing myself for the best and for the worst. I hoisted myself over the edge into the dark room, the only light coming from the candle light below and the bright moon light through the windows. Slowly, I stood straight, letting my eyes adjust to the lack of light before I stepped forward. I took a draft of the air through my nose, realizing that the whole room smelled like Ezio, something I had also forgotten. With eased steps, I made my way into the room, gazing all over the darkened trinkets and furniture in the room before I let them fall on the bed. A wave of uneasy disappointment washed through me when I saw that the bed was untouched and empty.

I weird, breathy sound escaped through my lips and I stood in a daze in the middle of the room before, I shook my head and made my way back to the ladder. How foolish I was to give myself false hope! Ugo asked no questions as I dropped back down the ladder, and I lead him without a word back through the hall and down the stairs.

* * *

"Last stop; the courtyard," I murmured, pushing through one of the doors in the main hall to exit out into the back yard. The moon was almost center in the sky, shining down upon the villa with it's milky light, throwing the entire courtyard into a colorless daze. We walked out into the dark, lead by the moonlight in the sky, out onto the large grater that was placed just a bit outside the inner courtyard. The metal clinked loudly under our footsteps as we walked onto it, our footsteps echoed down into it's depths that was the Assassin Sanctuary. I turned back to face the courtyard and Ugo followed in suite. With my hand, I made a sweeping gesture. "This is the courtyard," I whispered, "where we all usually relax after a long day. A cool breeze usually runs through and makes it all that much more calming." I hesitated. "This is where Ezio would teach me fighting techniques after he learned them." I pointed to the walls. "That's where he would teach me how to climb so we could watch the stars at night." Another pause. "This is where he taught me how to dance."

Ugo looked down at me slowly. "He was a good man," he whispered. "You should be glad you were able to have him in your life."

My shoulder slumped lightly, and I felt the despair on my face finally. "I know." I turned towards Ugo, feeling my expression crumple. "Ugo, I really miss him," I whispered, my voice rising higher, a warning that I was about to start crying. I closed my eyes to make sure the tears didn't start to flow. I didn't want to have Ugo deal with that again. I would wait until I was in my room going to sleep before I would let the tears fall.

There was a long moment of silence, my eyes closed against my tears. I half expected Ugo to reach out and at least take a hold of my shoulder to comfort me. And the difference from five days ago and now was that I felt like I needed the comfort. I was going to admit it. I was lost. However, Ugo's comforting touch never came, and I opened my eyes slowly in confusion after I made sure the coast was clear of tears. I only had to stare up at Ugo for a second to realize that he wasn't even paying attention to me anymore. He face was adverted in the direction of the Villa, his dark eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape. I quickly looked in the direction he was staring.

My face fell in the same manor that Ugo's was in.

No...no, that wasn't possible! My mind was playing tricks on me! There wasn't any way possible for Ezio to be standing in the courtyard staring back at Ugo and I!

It was the trick of the moon! It was my mind replaying memories again!

Ezio reached up and took off his hood, revealing his small smile in the moonlight, his golden eyes glowing.

Ugo breathed. "_Santa merda_, Ezio...you're alive."

The ground seemed to drop under me, and I collapsed onto my hands and knees, my fingers falling through the grater and wrapping around the grid. My whole body was shaking, and the tears were now falling from my face. A thousand questions rushed through my head, making my vision spin and my stomach clench.

Oh my God. Ezio...Ezio was alive!

I finally found my sense through the haze, and I tried to push myself up off of the ground, but my limbs were still too shaky. There was no way he could be alive! I must have fell asleep on my horse and had a crazy and bizarre dream. But, oh god, who the hell was lifting me up off the ground? Who else in the entire world has those gold eyes of his that were staring at me suddenly.

"Narina?" Fuck. There was no question about it. That was _his_ voice. Even if I wasn't able to remember it before, I knew his voice all too well. A jagged and rough series of sobs hammered in my throat as I tried to breath, and then it all hit me. I threw my arms around his neck, pulling myself up onto him, sobbing into this shoulder that had buried my face into. I could vaguely hear Ugo shakily explain what had happened;rather, what we all _thought_ had happened. Ezio's embrace around me grew tighter and tighter as more words came from Ugo, and when Ugo stopped, Ezio held me away from him, away from his heat, and I about started to cry anew at the loss of it.

Through my teary gaze, I saw him staring down at me with caring eyes. "I'm sorry I made you worry," he whispered.

My breath caught in my throat and I felt anger flash through me. "Worry!" I screamed. "Worry? I've been fucking devastated these past five days! I thought you were dead! I thought that you were gone forever!" I lowered my voice, and felt the warm tears fall down my cheeks. "I thought that you were floating somewhere in the water and I wasn't able to swim out to save you."

Ezio's large and warm hands, rough with his years of battle, cupped around my face and a small smile graced his lips. "I'll make sure that the next time, you _will_ know how."

I couldn't help myself. I jumped up again and pressed my lips to his, twisting my fingers into his hair. My sobs would occasionally make me breath the kiss, but he held me to him and kissed back, holding so many promises with every movement they made. I soon became too upset and astonished that I broke the kiss and rested my face against his neck, placing a soft kiss there before I whispered, "I thought you had left me all alone."

Ezio held me to him for a long while, talking softly with Ugo as they walked back into the Villa, his deep and now-cherished voice rumbling in his throat, vibrating against my cheek, lulling me to sleep against his shoulder. _If this be a dream, if I would torture myself in such ways, so be it. It would be worth it all_, I thought before I let myself fall into slumber against my assassin.

* * *

**Oh woooww... I thought for sure Ezio was going to be dead *heavy sarcasm ***

**I don't like this chapter at all. I don't think I've really conveyed how life-shattering a death is to someone. :I  
Originally, this chapter was supposed to have Ugo/Narina in it sort of, but I scrapped that at the last second.  
****The real only fun I had with this chapter was writing about Ugo's past. :3 That made me happy.**

**Well, onto the next chapter...WAIT! HOLY SHIT!  
****:3 I think next chapter is 'Sexy Time'. :D**

**Thanks! And review please!**


	23. My Confession, My Lover

**-SEXY FUCKING TIME!  
-^ The reason this chapter took so long.  
****-Do you know how hard it is to get into the groove to write a freaking sex scene? XD Either I'm just a wuss or you really got to be motivated to do it.  
****-Buckle your seat-belts—this chapter is a VEEEEERRRRRY long. (Sorry Angie-I couldn't keep it under the 10,000 word limit. You can kill me now.)  
****-I really, REALLY need to thank Dragon's-Maidens and SporkedGamer for this chapter. ^^ They're so supportive and I love it.  
-Oh, and I'll take the time here to apologize to Zeta. -_-" I apologize for corrupting you to a point where you couldn't take it anymore.**

**Thanks for reviewing, my dear followers and friends!:  
****SporkedGamer  
****Dragon's-Maidens  
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**

* * *

**

_You're moving close._

_My pulse is racing._

_We're getting close._

_Yeah, I can taste it._

_I've never done it quite like this._

_So slow it down now._

_Just...slow it down._

– "_**Count 'em One, Two, Three" by The Maine**_

_**

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**_

**Chapter 22: My Confession, My Lover **

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* * *

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WARNING_: this chapter contains __sexual material__. If you do __NOT__ want to read, I will visibly note when it __begins and when it ends__—reading the sexy parts is __NOT __a requirement and is totally __optional_

_.  
Thank you._

_

* * *

_

Consciousness slowly took over me, but I had gained enough of it to have a sense to keep my eyes closed for a moment. With a low hum in my throat, I realized just how content I felt at the moment. I was cozy, wrapped in a cocoon of warmth, a strong force holding me to something that held such a strong and comforting presence. As I was able to gain more of a realization of what I was assessing about my situation, I was laying upon something hard and so warm all in one, a course material rubbing back again my fingers as I let them push into my pillow. I blinked away the sleepiness in my eyes slowly, trying to focus on where I was. I pushed myself up off of the hard object I was laying upon.

The breath caught in my throat. Ezio was underneath me! His eyes were softly closed and his lips were parted slightly in his sleep, the even breaths that made his chest rise and fall in such a way falling from those lips.

There wasn't a second thought in my head as I reached out and touched his rough jaw, his strong cheeks, his sturdy chin, his soft lips. Even though he was alive, even though I could feel him under my touch, I started to cry. Not sobbing, just silent tears.

There was no words that could possibly describe my relief, my elation to see Ezio under my touch, to see him breathing so calmly. Oh, how love swelled within my chest for him. How could I have forgotten how warming the feeling was?

I found myself holding his face in my hands, my body bent over him with my lips pressed to his softly. With my eyes closed against my still flowing tears, I wasn't sure if he was awake or not.

Then his fingers were threading into my hair, his mouth opening upon mine. His warm breath seemed to fill my head and I held back the need to weep anew as I remembered that I had thought at one point that I would've never been able to experience such a thing ever again.

He was the one to push me away first; if I had had my way, I would have clung to him for all that I could. He held me by my face, holding it back far enough that he could look me in the eye.

Sleep still dazed his warm, hazel eyes, but a charming grin was upon his lips. "If there was one wish I could have come true, " he mumbled, "it would be to wake up like that everyday." I couldn't judge if he was being sarcastic or if he was really sincere, but it so very nearly drove me to throw my arms around him and cry out my admiration of him. But I felt my stubborn side slowly resurfacing, and I held my tongue. I blinked the few tears away left in my eyes.

Ezio frowned suddenly, his thumbs against my cheeks, rubbing at the bottom pockets of my eyes.

"Although, next time, I can do without the tears." A small smile graced his face, and, in return, I smiled softly back.

I touched his face with my fingertips. "How I've missed this smile," I whispered, tracing the scar on his lip.

The smile grew wider. "And how it has missed you."

A laugh beat in my throat. "Only the smile? I'm offended now!" I pushed away from him and climbed out of the bed—my bed, I realized. Why we were in my room, I had no idea.

Ezio laughed, sitting up in the bed, his white robe still upon him, his hood resting against his shoulders. He yawned and I smile softly in return. I was good to see him be so vibrant and alive. I watched him as he climbed out of the bed and stretched. As I watched him, I felt a frown carve itself in my face. "How did you manage to do it?" I whispered.

Ezio looked up at me briefly before using his fist to rub at his sleepy eyes. "Do what?"

"Just disappear like that?" I took a deep breath. "We looked for you for days Ezio; even the man at the docks told us that he hadn't seen you board a ship or anything."

A small smile stretched on his lips. "Narina, you have keep in mind that our enemies were looking for me as well. It's not like I could have left you a little love note as to where I was going."

My tummy flipped at his word of "love", but I slowly shook my head. "The least you could have done was leave some kind of reassurance that you were alive," I whispered, lowering my eyes. "You have no idea how it feels to lose your best friend in the entire world."

"Oh?" He sounded almost mad. "I _don't_ know? How do you suppose I felt when Federico died?"

I looked up through my eyelashes at him. "That's not the same," I said slowly and softly. "He was your brother, not the one you..." I faded off, my stomach twisting violently while a set of blush colored my face.

Ezio took his approach to me. "It is the same."

"But it's not," I argued back in a small voice.

"Narina-"

"It's not the same Ezio!" I declared loudly, suddenly finding my strength. "Nothing is the same! What I've been through these past five days wasn't anything like what I felt back when Federico died!" By then, I had strutted up to Ezio with clenched fists and angry steps.

Another thing I had forgotten—Ezio infuriated me sometimes.

I stared up into his golden eyes and whispered "You have no idea how I feel." A moment of silence enveloped the two of us as we stared at each other quietly.

Although Ezio's eyes were composed, tightly reigned, his fingers were reaching out and entwining in my hair."Then tell me," he murmured, "and then I'll know."

I found myself looking deeper into his placid eyes, trying to read what was implied behind them. Could I tell him? Was now the best time? It was the beginning of a new day, sun streaming into the room, bathing one side of his face in light while the other half was overcast in shadow as if he were torn. And I knew I looked to be the same.

My mouth opened, but the words never came. My lips pressed themselves together and I adverted my eyes. "I cannot tell you. Not now."

In the set of his eyes, it looked as though he wanted to argue back, to try to convince me to tell him anyways. But he softly smiled, let his fingers untangle from my hair and he pressed them against my cheek. "Tell me when you're ready then, hm?"

I forced a smile. "Yeah. Okay."

A grin that I had come to love resurfaced. "Don't give me this half-assed smile, Narina." No matter how hard I tried not to, I started to giggle under my breath and laugh lightly. Although I shook my head at his returning smile, he was suddenly pulling me to him, wrapping his arms around my shoulder while one hand delved into my hair, pushing my face to rest up against his chest. Although from the angle I was placed in, I couldn't see his face, but I could feel his warm breath in my hair, matching up to the slow fall and rising of his chest, his strong heart-beat loud in my head.

Before I could actually start enjoying it instead of noticing the smaller details, before I could embrace him back, he pushed me away. I looked up at him, confused and somewhat shocked. Utter disgust was on his face.

"You came from Venice," he stated in a mater-of-fact tone. " I can smell it in your hair."

I frowned playfully. "Did you just call me stinky?"

He raised a sly eyebrow. "Yes, but only your hair."

"Oh, how wonderful. Just what a girl likes to here in the morning," I mumbled, rolling my eyes and shrugging off Ezio's hands.

Ezio raised his hands in defense. "Narina, I was just-"

I held up a hand to cut him off. "Look, I'm really hungry," I explained. "Can we argue about this over breakfast?"

Ezio laughed, reached out to ruffle my hair. "_Lasciare il combattimento inizia_, (let the battle begin,)" he said charmingly at me before reaching back and pulling his hood back over his face as if he were distancing himself so that we could truly duel it out.

It _had_ been a while since I had one of the old time battles with Ezio.

I held my nose high. "You should watch your back, 'cause I'm not going to go easy on you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." With that, he turned on his heel, opened the door and left the room.

* * *

Breakfast was a reunion if I had ever seen one. When I walked into the room, I was suddenly flying in the air, held up by my arms by Mario, who was grinning up at me and saying "We all thought Ezio had left you for good in Venice! We've been all very upset!" Even after Mario put me back on my two feet, Claudia threw a hug on me, giving me a stream of questions that I had no intention of answering. I was starving and determined to kick Ezio's ass in one of our old games. Maria was even in the dining room that morning, and she smiled softly at me and gave me a quiet 'Welcome home', which caused me to have a form of surprise on my face. It had been a while since I had actually heard her say something directly to me. Ugo just smiled softly at me, nodding to me to give me his acknowledgment before he continued talking with Mario quietly.

Ezio took my hesitation, after giving his mother a greeting, to sit down and start pigging out on the breakfast that was already set out for us. I pulled off an odd look when I caught sight of Ezio stuffing a roll in his mouth and dashed to my seat so I could stuff one in my mouth too.

Seemed like everything today was going to be a competition, and, secretly, I loved the idea of it.

Breakfast was delicious—the first legitimate meal I had in weeks. But I couldn't let it settle in because right after breakfast was done and everyone was wiping at their faces, Ezio stood quickly from the table and exclaimed "Horse race time!" and he rushed out of the room. Strange to think that, despite all that Ezio and I had been through, all the corruption in the world we had seen, all the blood and awful truths we had found, we could still act like we were 8 years old with each other.

* * *

The whole day was tiring. Monotonous. Ridiculous. Yet fun.

The swimming challenge during that day was one of the scariest. Of course, Ezio neglected to even tell me we were participating in this battle. We had just got done with a running race (from the gates of Monteriggioni to one of the few small little ponds out around the city walls), which was full on bullshit due to the fact Ezio got a head start and he was a better runner than I was anyways.

I approached him, huffing and panting, sweating and sore. "You jack-ass cheater head!" I cried out to him. He made a silly face at me and put his hands on his hips like a woman would.

"I win, you lose!" He gloated, moving his hips from side to side.

"I've already won three other battles, _idioto_!" I snapped, quite cross with him.

"Mhm," he hummed, suddenly walking right up to me, taking a hold of me by my waist and throwing me up onto his shoulder.

"What are you doing!" I snapped. "Put me down now!" I started to flail in his arms, pounding my fist against his back (which was a bad idea—he had some pretty hard armor now.)

"You still smell," he commented. "We're going to wash Venice out of you."

Even though I couldn't see where we were going due to the way I was bouncing against Ezio's back, I still knew that this would involve me being thrown into water. "No!" I screamed. "No! Ezio! Stop! Put me down!" Due to my squirming, one of Ezio's hands was placed against my calf to keep me from kicking him in the face, and the other was, conveniently, on my ass. "Ezio!" I cried out again, ignoring the reaction that my body received from the knowledge of his hand upon my bottom. "Ezio, wait! I can take a bath at the Villa when we get back, just don't throw me in the water please!"

"Narina, you're named after water. It's only reasonable to have you be able to swim in it." But I was scared. Water...water was the thing that had taken Ezio away from me a week ago—water was the thing that had taken and swallowed everything away from me. Federico, Pettrucio, Giovanni, Ezio's ribbon, Federico's necklace...

Why, God, do you find the humor in such irony?

No matter how hard I struggled and fought against Ezio, he was able to pick me off of his shoulder and throw me into the air. Instead of screaming, I sucked in a deep breath and prepared for the pressure of water and the moments of panic to rise with the bubbles. I heard the splash, felt the water envelope around me. For being almost summer time, it was pretty freezing, and I felt my lungs tighten in my chest again. I could feel the air bubbles from all around me; my clothes, my skin, my hair, all rolling along the curves of my body so that they could float to the surface themselves. Hmph. Show offs.

I opened my eyes against the cold, not caring how bad it hurt. I just had to make sure that Ezio had came in after me. I didn't see him at first, which had given me a little panic attack, but in a burst of another bubbles and currents of water above me, Ezio was swimming down to me, his gold eyes piercing into mine and a grin on his face, his hood floating down off of his head, letting his loose hair (I guess he never found another ribbon) to float gently in the water.

A frown pressed into my face, and I felt my brow furrow in anger at him, but I reached out to him anyways, beckoning for his help. For a second, I thought, since we _were_ battling it out, that Ezio wasn't going to help me. But he smiled warmly at me and reached down for my out-stretched hand. He took my hand into his, towing me up towards him. I thought he'd tuck me under his arm and be the hero of the day, but it surprised me when his fingers were threading into my hair, tilting my face towards his. Then he was kissing me, his lips pressing up against mine. No, it wasn't like other kisses he's given me. It was soft, almost subtle, as if he were apologizing for the caper that he just pulled off. Under the water where all sounds seemed to dissolve in the cold reaches, there was a moment where I forgot everything. I forgot that I had almost lost my best friend a week before; I had forgotten that I was actually in a competition against Ezio right now; I forgot that the whole world around us even existed. But I remembered something during it all too. I remembered just how much Ezio meant to me. I remembered how much I loved him.

But even love couldn't let me breath underwater. I was the one to break the kiss, the first one to flail about as my lungs tightened from the lack of air. If Ezio had the ability to breath underwater, I think he would have started laughing at me, judging by the facial expression he was giving me. Instead, however, he took a hold of me again and towed us both up to the surface. We both gasped loudly when we breached through, allowing the warm sun to immediately start warming us again.

I coughed a few times, holding my fist to my mouth, before I turned my gaze upon Ezio, who was holding me to him as we floated in the middle of the water.  
"What the hell?" I scolded angrily. "You could have killed me!"

"Whatever. You weren't even close to dying."

"Hey, I was _this_ close to breathing in a lung-full of water, okay?"

"Narina."

"And then you practically _laugh_ at me as I am sinking into the dark, dark abyss of water which you KNOW traumatizes me to some extent and—."

"Narina."

"Not only was this round totally unfair, it's going to scar me for the rest of my life. You know how many moments in my life are like that because of you?"

"Narina." I finally stopped ranting and focused on Ezio, who was staring down at me evenly, his brows raised and a smile ghosted his lips.

"What?" I asked curtly.

His golden eyes melted and smoldered all of a sudden, and his warm hands on my arms ran up along my shoulders and neck, up into my wet and tangled hair. There, his fingers twirled into the locks and tugged back, making my head tilt up towards his again. All my irritation with him disappeared as I watched those eagle-like eyes peer closer to me, and I felt my own eyes widen with surprise. Just like before, he pressed his lips against mine. I felt like I was going through mood-swings; totally in love, to 'you're a dick-head', back to totally in love again. My own hands found themselves bracing against his strong neck, threading into his dripping hair.

My stomach dropped sharply as I felt Ezio's mouth fall open, my bottom lip the victim of sudden nibbling and sucking. His tongue was suddenly pressed between my lips, prying them apart. Oh God, how hot that tongue of his was, pressing on the inside of my lips, brushing against mine beckoning for a brawl between them to start. Perhaps this was the kissing challenge? Sucking, licking, nibbling, the water creating a slick friction between us; I felt my stomach clench and I felt the need to press my thighs together to stop...to stop _something_ that I wasn't even sure what it was.

When he broke the kiss, his breath was a little unsteady, but I wasn't sure; my heart-beat was so loud in my head and my own breath quivered lightly, seeming to echo off of the water and back to me. I felt a light flush on my face as I was met with his golden eyes again, the gaze sending shivers down my spine and causing a warmth in my lower stomach. There was a moment where I felt like he was reading my mind, staring into my eyes so intensely like he was doing.

My voice suddenly came back. "You've been kissing me a lot lately," I whispered.

He smirked softly, his fingers still entwined in my hair. "I figured you wouldn't mind," he mumbled, leaning forward and placing a kiss on my cheek.

As much as I liked the idea of kissing him again, I let my competitive side blanch out and I pushed away from him. "You're just trying to distract me! Ha! Not this time!" I managed to flail through the water enough so that I could feel the incline of the bottom of the pond to the edge and I waded out, swinging my arms around as if that made me move faster. I looked back at Ezio over my shoulder by the time I was standing on dry ground again, wringing out my clothes. He was standing knee deep in the water, smirking at me with his arms folded. His robes and sleeves clung to him, only the material of the sleeve thin enough to see through now, and I blushed at the sight of his thick arms pressing through the now form-fitting sleeves. I turned away and bent over to flip my hair over my head so that I could shake it out, running my fingers through the strands quickly. I screamed loudly when I felt something slap across my rear end, and I stood straight immediately. I watched with a shocked/pissed expression as Ezio bounded away, chuckling loudly.

"How dare you!" I yelled at him, starting to run after him. "Where the hell do you get off slapping innocent girls asses!"

All I got was a smirk and a laugh for an answer.

* * *

Not like I was keeping track or anything, but by the time the sun was going down and we declared our little war over, Ezio had stomped me (only because he cheated all the time) by seven wins.

I was able to enjoy dinner, to my pleasure, despite the few competitive glances I was getting from Ezio every so often. Everyone talked loudly across the table to each other, and I suddenly smiled at the memory of a similar image at the Auditore house back in Florence years ago, only now, it was the younger Auditore brother sitting next to me and the Venice thief Ugo sitting across from me. I asked Ugo when he was preparing to leave for Florence to go visit Paola at some point during the dinner.

"Tomorrow noon," Ugo answered, and I felt my face fall into sadness.

"So soon?"

Ugo nodded. "I need to make haste back to_ Venezia_ so that I can tell Antonio that you made it safely here and also that—" he gestured to Ezio "-he is apparently alive and that we all need to lay low for a bit."

Ezio sat straight in a serious manor. "In the meantime, we need to dig up all that we can on this 'The Spaniard"."

"We also need to try to figure out who this Carliaes boy is."

"Who?"

Ugo's gaze fell on me. "You didn't tell him?"

My eyes were widened in anger as I stared at Ugo with furrowed eyebrows. "No, it must have slipped my mind," I spat between clenched teeth. It was obvious that I had had no intentions of telling Ezio about me being one of our enemies targets.

"The name sounds familiar," Ezio mused, holding his chin in his fist.

"The family lives in _Firenze_," Ugo explained, ignoring my look. "Obviously, the son of the family is in league with the Templars. My men, who were scouting the city for you all last week, had heard the boy saying to his allies that they couldn't leave the city until they had dealt with Narina."

Ezio stood up sharply, knocking his chair back and slamming his hands down on the table, causing everyone to jump in surprise.

The fury was clear in his eyes; I could almost imagine him snarling. "_Progettavano su uccidere di_ Narina_!_(They were planning on killing Narina!)" Ezio exclaimed in a loud voice, the anger extremely evident in his voice.

I got to it before Ugo could, and I jumped up from my seat to grip onto Ezio's sleeve. This was exactly why I didn't want to tell him—he gets so worked up over such things. "Ezio, please, they weren't going to kill me!" I explained.

"What the hell would they do besides that!" Ezio argued with me, still very upset over the whole ordeal.

"They planned on using her." We all turned to Ugo, who was still staring solemnly at Ezio. "For what, I'm not sure. Carliaes only said that 'they couldn't discuss it in such an open area—they are open ears around.' It was almost as if he knew we'd be listening."

Ezio's eyes landed back on me, tight and angry. "A sex slave?"

My stomach dropped at the thought, but I shook my head slowly. "Why me?"

"To make me mad," Ezio explain, suddenly so quiet. "_They_ knew that I wasn't dead."

Although his suggestion _did_ make sense, I still felt that was not it at all. It was something bigger.

We managed to calm Ezio down enough so that we could all continue to eat dinner;either calmed him down, or he was good at containing his emotions. We would have to discuss what we were to do now when I was absolutely sure his emotions wouldn't effect his judgment.

Since Ezio had complained several times throughout the day and since my little dip in the pond didn't help, I decided that I was going to take a well earned and well needed bath. Some of the few servants that worked in the Villa helped me heat up water and pour it into the large tub in the bathroom. They placed a few good smelling soaps to the side of the tub before they left me alone to clean myself.

The soap smelled like a sort of flower, although I couldn't quite grasp which one it was. It felt good to scrub away the dirt on my skin, to watch it run off of me in ribbons. But I frowned at the thought that, as I watched the dirt wash away, that I was still pretty pale for being a girl that runs around the top of cities all the time. At least I wasn't snowy white, though, I thought, but a frown still dragged my lips downward. I washed my hair around three times, becoming suddenly self conscious about it and the way it smelled. Huh. I _wonder_ why.

It felt so nice to have clean skin and to dress in clean clothes. I guess I had forgotten what it had felt like to _not_ be caked with dirt and grossness. I rubbed my hair dry with a towel and left the room, determined to go and get some sleep. My day of battling it out with a fit and strong Assassin wore me down.

I walked out from the bathing room and walked across the open hall to my room

"Narina." I stopped in my tracks and looked up to the walkways lining the upper floor's walls. Ezio was perched upon the railing, staring down at me, balancing well on his feet. His hood was on, and it shocked me to find him sort of intimidating. Suddenly, Ezio took a step off the railing and fell down. I flinched back, half-expecting him to land on top of me or to hurt himself. But of course, nothing happened, just a loud thud that resonated throughout the hall. I opened my eyes, which I had closed in fear, to look up at Ezio standing a mere inch away from me, towering over me.

"Hey, Ezio," I mumbled lightly, standing straight again.

"Narina." He sounded upset again, and I sighed, hoping that he would have calmed down while I bathed. I looked away from him, to the side, avoiding his gaze. "Why weren't you going to tell me?"

I decided to play naïve."Tell you what?"

Ezio wasn't about to play games anymore though. He took a hold of my upper arms in his huge hands, and he shook me lightly but sharply. "Narina, you weren't going to tell me about you becoming a target."

"I..." I cleared my throat and shrugged. "I didn't want you to worry about it."

"Well, now I'm worried why you didn't tell me."

I took a breath and looked up into his eyes, which had softened considerably, but still held a bit of anger in them. "Ezio, look, I'm here now, I'm safe and I'm good at watching my back. Everything will be okay." I smiled and reached up to poke his chest. "Besides, would you really allow some scrawny Templars to take me away?"

Ezio slowly shook his head, not really finding the phrase as funny as I had. Instead of responding, though, his hands around my arms wrapped around back of me, pulling me into his embrace. I immediately wrapped my own up around his neck, standing on my tip-toes and using his supporting arms to my advantage. "_Nessuno la ruberà da me_ (no one will steal you from me)," Ezio hummed deep in his throat, which vibrated against my cheek. He let me drop back to my flat-foot stance, and I let my hands fall against his chest.

I smiled slyly up at him. "Is Ezio getting a little protective over little ol' me?"

He finally smiled, and the anger seemed to disperse from his eyes. "I'm afraid that's only required to make sure that you're safe these days."

I laughed, then, changing the subject, I let one of my hands reach back and hold out a strand of hair. "Do I smell like the revolting Venice anymore?"

Taking his chance with a grin, he pulled me to him again, this time burying his face into my now clean, bouncy, wavy hair. I felt his chest heave against my face as he took in a daft. Something strange inside of me seemed to light on fire when I heard him make a strange noise that was like a purr, but more masculine and deep.

"Good, I'm guessing?"

"Mmm," he hummed, his voice rumbling in his chest. "I could eat you right now."

My stomach did a flip and my heart started to thump louder. What was wrong with me? I know that I'm a little twisted in the mind about somethings, but to really imagine Ezio's smile in between my...

Oh, God. I pushed away from Ezio, feeling my cheeks throbbing with heat. I wasn't looking at him, but I could see the confusion and slight amusement on his face from my peripherals. What made me blush more was that I knew that, with one look at me, Ezio could tell what I was thinking about.

"Oh, Narina. And you call me perverted." Ezio started to chuckle lightly.

"Sh-shut up!" I cried out, pushing against him again so that I wasn't touching him anymore. "You're the one that's corrupted me in the first place!"

"You're the one imagining my tongue inside your—."

"AH!" I screamed, throwing my arms up to cut him off, my stomach exploding with butterflies. "Okay! That's enough! I'm going to bed!" I quickly brushed past him, making a bee line for my bedroom. I was only able to get my hand on the knob before I was seized by my shoulder, and I was pulled back around. Ezio hovered over me, his eyes no longer teasing and full of some warm emotion. Embarrassed about my flushed face, I looked away and felt my shoulders hunch slightly. Why did I always feel like I was being so harshly judged under his stare?

His hand on my shoulder ran down my arm and wrapped around my hand at my side, entwining his long fingers with mine. I hesitated, but ended up holding his fingers back the best I could. "Narina," he whispered down to me, bowing his head just enough so he could press his forehead to mine. I felt my eyes slowly close as his lips pressed softly against mine, no real strain behind it. He broke it slightly, his warm breath fanning out against my jaw-line before I felt the hot pressure of his tongue run across my bottom lip. Without even giving it a second thought, my lips parted and Ezio slowly let his tongue ease in, twisting his head to the side to gain a better angle. By now, I was pressed back against my door, Ezio's free hand twisting itself into my hair while the one holding my hand gripped even tighter.

His open-mouthed kissed moved away from my lips, across my jaw, under my ear, down my neck. I felt myself tense as me knees began to wobble underneath me, my brow furrowing with concentration of how his lips felt, and my lips quivering with the intensity of it. My breath was falling unsteady again, and I felt a strange heat in my lower stomach.

_No._

"Ezio, wait," I whispered,shrinking away from him, putting as much pressure as I could onto his hand to make him realize I was serious. He raised his head again, an almost confused expression upon his face.

_Not now._

I tried to tell him with my eyes, for my voice didn't work anymore. His golden eyes searched mine for a long time, unblinking and in a form of hunger.

_Not when I don't know..._

He finally sighed quietly, dropping his eyes to our connected hands. He pulled them up so they were between our faces, and he twisted them around so that he could press his lips to the back of my hand, his eyes locked onto mine again. I took a moment to fall into his eyes like a pathetic girl would before I pushed off of the door and stood on my tip toes to kiss the back of his hand.

_...that if I'm unlike other girls or not._

Ezio moved the hands out of the way and leaned down to give me a soft peck before he backed away again. "_Buonanotte_, Narina," Ezio murmured, with a soft smile.

I slightly smiled back, squeezing his fingers. "Sweet dreams, Ezio."

We stared into each others eyes for a moment before I turned around and opened up my door. Our fingers slowly slid apart as I walked into the room, and before I closed the door behind me, I glanced over my shoulder at him one last time. He was still staring at me quietly, his mouth set in a straight line.

I reached out the door again and touched his hand, which had stayed in the air from when our hands slid apart. "Goodnight." I smiled softly at him before withdrawing my hand and turning away before I closed the door, not wanting to see him watch me until he absolutely couldn't anymore.

With the door closed, I leaned back against it, and let out a shaky breath.

I had thought love was a whole new experience. Sexual desire was a whole other story. I now could see the courtesans, the whores, the men—even Ezio—in a new light. Something so strong was so hard to control. Only I knew that love is what made it even more unbearable. I ended up sliding down the door until I was sitting on the floor, my hands pressed against my scalding cheeks and my legs twisted together tightly. I sighed.

It would be a miracle if I were to get any sleep.

* * *

My eyes flung open, welcomed by dark only lightly laced with the moonlight pouring from my window. At first, I was surprised that I had gotten to sleep, but then I was astonished by a whole other matter.

What the _hell_ was that dream I just had?

I reached up from under my covers and pressed my hands to my eyes, trying to make the images of Ezio's body, hands, eyes, his tongue disappear. I felt like I wanted to scream, like I was about to explode if I couldn't release this tightening feeling within me. A whine found it's way from my throat and my hands balled into fists and they slammed into the bed at my sides. It wasn't making me feel any better to know that there was heat pooling at the apex of my thighs, and I knew exactly what the cause was.

Never before have I ever have such a vivid and detailed dream—I could still feel his hands, his head, his tongue pressed against my skin.

"This is fucking ridiculous!" I spat in a furious whisper, throwing aside the blanket for it was much too hot all of a sudden. I sat up on the edge of the bed, rubbing my face with my hands wearily, then gazing up out my window to try and judge what time it was. The moon at the apex of the sky told me around midnight.

I needed to splash my flushed face with cool water NOW. I stood from the bed and made my way across the room, quietly opening the door. None of the candles in the corridor were lit, but I could see through the open door of the office a light on the wall that indicated that Mario was still awake in his office. I didn't know how he managed to stay up so late working, but I admired him for it. I walked across the open floor of the entry hall, my feet plopping noisily across the marble floor. I placed my hand upon the handle to the bathing room, prepared to use the washing bucket that was always in there, but something made me freeze. I stared blankly at the door in front of me, my hand tightening on the handle. Something inside of me was telling me to move, but not through the door in front of me.

_Move to the left_, it told me. _Climb up the stairs_. When I complied to the voice, to the feeling, I realized halfway up the stairs that it was making me seek out Ezio. I forced myself to stop walking at the top of the stairs, in the archway that led to the walkway over Mario's office. The light poured over the edge of the railing, flickering against the painted walls. I peeked around the corner and down into the office below. Mario was at his desk, head in hand, scribbling away at a piece of paper. If it was any other night, I would have leaned over the railing and told him that he needed to go to bed.  
But this night, I didn't want him to remember I existed. I crouched down and pressed myself as close to the far wall as I could, slowly making my way across the walkway. I don't think I'd ever hear the end of it if Mario caught me sneaking to Ezio's room in the middle of the night.

I froze halfway across the walkway, having a mental argument with myself.

_You have no idea what you're about to get into_.

_I'm ready for it._

_You'll regret it._

_Why would I? I love him._

_But does he love you?_

Hesitating, I actually regarded what my other half was trying to tell me. If I was being realistic, I was heading for heart-break. But whether it was the dim moonlight that glowed all throughout the Villa, or if it was the excitement from sneaking around, I didn't care if I was about to throw myself into the hands of the devil. I continued my stealthy path across the walkway.

I managed to get by unnoticed, only startled once by a suddenly cough from Mario, in which I froze for a moment since I thought he had seen me, but with a daring peek over the walkway, I saw that he was still working. Now in the hallway that led to Maria's room, I turned to the right and started to walk up the winding stairs upwards, standing on my toes to keep the plodding of my feet down to a minimum. Surprise once again flooded through me, when I had climbed higher and I saw candle-light flooding down from Ezio's room. Tonight must have been a late night for him too.

When I reached the ladder, I took a small moment to take a deep breath, preparing myself to face what I was seeking. Much to my dismay, when I took my first step onto the ladder, it creaked loudly. So much for being sneaky. Stealth was never my forte in the first place, I guess. Might as well go all the way now. Without hesitation, I climbed up higher on the ladder, noisily, might I add.

So, I wasn't surprised to find Ezio staring at me as I pushed myself up over the edge. He was sitting at his desk, in a similar position Mario had been in, only he was staring up at me in slight shock.

"Narina?" He stood from the desk as I pushed myself up off the floor.

I brushed myself off a little before looking up at him. "What are you doing?" I seemed a little out of place to be asking _him_ that—I was the one climbing up into his room in the middle of the night.

He raised a brow. "Working. Actually, I was just about to go to bed. What are _you_ doing?" I realized, with a stutter of my heart and a sharp breath that Ezio was shirtless, obviously really about to go to bed. He only had his trousers on, and, from the sound of him walking around the desk, his boots too.

I kept my face straight and my eyes on him. "I couldn't sleep," I answered slowly.

A grin. "And you were hoping you could snuggle with me?" He sat on the edge of his bed, reaching down to take off his boots, kicking them aside once they were off.

I let no emotion flit across my face, but my stomach was uneasy with butterflies. "Actually, I was."

Ezio's grin faltered, and his brow furrowed. He regarded me slowly and quietly, staring into my eyes which I mentally begged not to break under his golden stare. "Hey." He lifted his hand out towards me. "Come here."

My feet suddenly felt bolted to the floor, and my knees didn't want to bend. I stared at his hand, which was beckoning me to go to him, to go to his touch. Those hands...I closed my eyes and somehow was able to get my legs to take a step towards him. And another. Close enough so that he could take a hold of my hand. I was now hovering over him and his half-nakedness, his head the same level as my chest. Just like hours before, he took a hold of my hand and laced his fingers with mine. His golden eyes seemed to take on an even warmer hue due from the candle-light that dimly lit up the room.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a whisper, the concern in his eyes.

"I couldn't sleep," I repeated, letting my fingers rest lightly against the back of his hand.

He reached up and touched my cheek with his free hand. "What can I do to help, Narina?"

There was a long pause and silence between us, and then I reached up with my left hand to take away his touch. I let his hand drop back down to his side, and I could see the true confusion clear in his eyes now, mixed with worry. Then I let my own fingers reach up and touch his prickly jaw line, rubbing in little circles.

"You haven't shaved for a while," I whispered.

Ezio let his hand fall against my waist. "Does it bother you?"

I slowly shook my head. "No, not really."

"Narina." Ezio's brow was furrowed again and his tone was expectant. "Are you okay?"

I ignored his question and let my fingertips trace his lips, his scar. "It's funny to think that we both know this scar about as long as we've both known each other." A smile finally fell upon my lips. "I'll never forget the sight of you, all pouting with bloody lips, carefree and daring."

Ezio's brow cocked, but a small smile shadowed his lips. "You didn't look too happy yourself, you know," he shot back. "You were lost and confused, amazed and wondering."

My fingers stopped their circles. "You remember?"

He chuckled. "Of course I remember."

I smiled wider, watching him laugh below me. Untangling my fingers from his, I raised my right hand's fingertips to his face, running them along his jawline. I was going to take my own leap of faith. "Ezio?"

"Hm?"

"Am I different?"

"What are you asking exactly?"

"Like, if I do this." I leaned down and pressed my lips to his, trapping his bottom lip between both of mine. Then I backed away, staring confidently into his eyes "If I do that, do you think of me like you do other women?"

I think Ezio finally saw what I had really come for. Cuddling; yeah, bullshit.

His hands hand up my sides, taking a hold of me at my upper torso, and he was spreading his knees apart, pulling me into him more.

He didn't answer my question, so I asked it again in a different form. "Would you throw me aside when I was no longer a mystery?" It was strange how I was suddenly so fearless, even though my heart-beat resonated loudly throughout my entire body.

Either Ezio was already there, or he was very quick to get into the mood. He inclined his head, pressing his lips against my exposed neck, letting those hot, open-mouthed kisses that I dreamed about trail across my skin. The contact made my breath hitch and my heart trip and then double in speed.

"Have I thrown you aside yet?" He asked in a dark, throaty tone, making my legs turn into puddy beneath me, and I was grateful for his hold.

I shook my head slowly. "No. Not yet."

"I never will," he promised in a whisper, his hands falling back down to my hips. "You're the only one that I'll treasure forever."

Sure, he could have been lying. He could have just been using pretty words to make me swoon. But at this point, I don't think I really even cared. My body had been on fire the entire night, and I just wanted the flames to be gone. I don't know how, but I knew that this was the only way to smother them out.

* * *

**START OF SEXINESS! :D**

**

* * *

**

Ezio pushed me away suddenly and I was almost shocked and totally discouraged, but Ezio was pulling me back, lifting me up into his lap, placing each of my legs on either side of him. I shifted myself around on my knees a bit, trying to find a position that was comfortable. While doing so, Ezio's hands roamed up my sides again, resting against my rib-cage, pulling me towards him. Finding my comfort spot, I let my hands once again hold his face, tilting it up towards mine for once instead of having to pull me up to kiss him. For once, we both started the kiss with open mouths, our tongues dipping into each others mouths passionately, and I still found it strange—and very thrilling—that I had found such strength within me to match that of even Ezio's passion.

At least, that's what I thought at first.

After I was sure that my lips would be bruised from Ezio's rough kisses (he was a biter, that's for sure), Ezio's hot and moist kisses once again dropped down to my neck. I let my head fall back, allowing him more skin to reach. My stomach was so tight with the strain of emotions now,and my whole body seemed to be flushing instead of just my face. I could feel the raw pulsing at the apex of my thighs again, and I felt like this couldn't be done fast enough to sate it's hunger. It was strange to realize that that throbbing in between my legs was the cause of most of the actions I did—it was like that's where I was getting my strength to actually go through with this.

A moan slipped through my lips as Ezio's teeth started to press against my collarbone that was exposed through my shirt collar, nipping at my skin. My hands spread out along his naked torso, running over the strong muscles that were ripped into his body, touching his warm skin, letting my fingers dance along his stone hard stomach, something I had never let myself do before. A shaky breath seeped through his lips at my touch, and he was suddenly taking a hold of my vest from the bottom, starting to tug it up.

"Lift your arms up," he ordered huskily, his breath falling upon my neck.

I complied, letting my fingers leave his skin, and I raised my arms above my head, allowing Ezio to pull the vest up over my head, then down to the floor. Shaking my hair out of my face with a toss of my head, I let out my own shaky breath, letting my hands fall upon his strong and large shoulders. He was watching me so very closely with eyes that were as sharp as eagle eyes, a hunger smoldering underneath the surface, like he had been holding it back all along. His hands, which had settled upon my sides, were suddenly moving to my front side, pressing the shirt material to my tummy as they slowly moved upwards. I shivered when his thumbs were suddenly brushing along the under curve of my breasts, rubbing around in small circles. When his fingers and palms came into the mix, lifting, kneading,a pleasured mewl rose from somewhere inside of me, my head falling back in the sensuality of the moment.

Was I really about to let this happen? I had always been such a hard judge about Ezio's sexual activity, but now, I was a part of those activities. A part of me—a very _tiny_ part—told me to get out of it now. The other majority side of me told me that it was inevitable to escape Ezio—sure, I could leave now, but it would only be a matter of time before he catch me again. I was sick and tired of fighting him, though. Years and years of pushing him away made me weary, and I just wanted to take what he could give now.

A gasp was ripped from my throat, and my focus shot back onto Ezio, who had let his hands fall from my breast to my sides, pull me closer to him, and he was now placing those oh-so-hot kisses on my breasts through the material of the shirt. I could feel his tongue press against the material, searching, searching until he found—oh my god—what he was looking for. Now with his teeth, he took a soft bite upon my nipple, his saliva soaking into the material of my shirt, creating an odd sense.

"Ezio," I breathed. His eyes only shifting in their sockets to look up at me through his dark eyelashes, piercing into me yet again. I don't know what he saw in my eyes—perhaps my need for this to happen—but he suddenly smiled and opened his mouth, pressing his face closer so that he could lavish upon my breast from within in mouth, his tongue flicking against my hardened bud. Another moan came from my mouth, my eyes clamping shut as Ezio's hand went to the other breast he was seeing with his mouth and started to knead and lift there. I felt like sobbing suddenly; this defiantly wasn't help ease the fires—it was making them climb higher and burn hotter.

_Shatter me_, I wanted to tell him. _Break me apart so that you have to take years and years to put me together again._

"Ezio, please," I whispered, trying to speed things up. I didn't know how much longer I could take it. Though I didn't have to say more; he was already untucking my shirt from my pants, letting the material fall loose around my hips. He didn't tell me to lift my arms up again, and it really just sort of happened. He started to lift the shirt up and my arms seemed to automatically lift up. Throwing the shirt aside, my hair fell around my shoulders in waves and I suddenly comprehended the fact that I was sitting topless on top of Ezio. And then I felt self conscious, feeling my bolder side shrink back a bit. I felt myself sort of hunch over a bit, trying to let my hair form a curtain over myself.

Ezio, on the other hand, had different ideas. Seeing that I was started to back out, one of his hands went to my back while the other pushed me back, making me not only lean back into his hand, but also to sit down upon his hips, which, on both of our parts was a good and yet very bad idea. I was leaned back into his supporting hand, suddenly breathless and wide eyed, my heart beating so loudly in my chest that I thought for sure it was about to explode out. Oh my...was that _him_ pressing into me?  
_Oh fuck...what am I getting myself into?_

Ezio shifted under me, leaning forward pressing his lips between my breasts, tasting my skin, while the hand that had pushed me back went to my hip, taking a firm hold there and pulling towards him more, sending a bolt of an acute pleasure through me as he rubbed harder against me. I hadn't even realized I was even making noises until Ezio chuckled against my skin, his prickly chin pushing into one of my breasts.

"You're going to be a loud one, I can already tell." I blushed and felt a small pout on my lips, and I opened my mouth to say something, but the words never came, no matter how hard I tried to force them out. Ezio placed a small kiss on the lower swell of my right breast, looking up at me with eyes that threatened to devour me. "You and your beauty marks, Narina," he mumbled against my skin. "One on your face, one on your boob...there's probably one on your thighs somewhere." A sly grin. "How about we find out, hm?"

I knew there wasn't. But I wasn't about to deny him anything.

He was standing suddenly, my legs wrapped around his waist, my arms locked around his neck. It took me a moment to realize that he was sucking on my neck, probably leaving those red love marks I had always seen his victims sporting around. Well, get the hell out of my way, ladies. There's a new girl in town who's bouncing on his hips.  
Well, okay, maybe not yet. But I was getting there.

However, I'm afraid that there would be no bouncing on hips for me that night. He turned us around, laying me back onto the bed, my hair fanning out around me, my hands automatically falling over my chest. Although I thought he would do otherwise, he didn't climb on the bed with me. He simply stayed standing at the edge of the bed, staring down at me with a predatory gleam in his eye, clearly evident in the candle-light. I squirmed at the thought that I was his prey, the one he had his eyes set on. Ezio reached down and took a hold of my ankles, pulling me to the side of the bed with a rough tug, until my legs were hanging over the edge. I felt the confusion on my face, asking him silently what the hell he was doing.

He smirked—in a mischievous way, might I add—and he reached down, put a hand to the side of my head in the bed, hovering over me, to press a finger to my lips, as if telling me to hold my questions, to let him do all the work. The let his finger trail down my chin, my neck, down in between my breast, down my exposed stomach. Then it hooked into my pants, and I felt my body flinch at the knowledge of what was to happen next.

But then Ezio stopped, freezing where he was, and I made myself look up into his eyes rather than staring at his finger that threatened to take away my only cover. And when I did look into his eyes, love over-rode desire for the time being. He was giving me a chance to change my mind. He was letting me make sure that this is what I wanted. What a great sacrifice on his part, considering the hungry look in his eyes, his uneven breath, and the rock hard bulge that was quiet evident in his pants. His golden eyes, tormented, were asking me if this was okay, if this was what I wanted.

I caught a hold of my breath. "Ezio, I trust you."

Another finger hooked into my pants. "Why do you trust me?"

"You're charming. You're funny. You're cocky. And you're a man-whore." I paused, reached up and touched his cheek, smiling lightly. "But I...I trust you." How much I wanted to replace my word of trust with love. But I held my desire back for another time and place.

Ezio's breath fell out across my face, brushing through my hair that cascaded away from my face. He pushed his lip against mine, and while doing so, his thumb pressed on the other side of his hold, and I felt my pants slide down my thighs, across my knees and over my ankles, Ezio's kisses moving down with them. I found myself lightly giggling when he placed small little butterfly kisses against my tummy, tickling me lightly. I felt his smile upon my skin, but I didn't get a chance to see be because he was moving lower again.

I really only realized what was happening when I felt him take a hold of my legs and place them over his shoulders, and I looked down in sudden shock. He was crouched down at the edge of the bed, smirking up at me with an odd look in his eyes.

"Hm. No beauty mark here..." He mumbled, letting kisses fall on my inner thighs, so very close to my core.

I squirmed and braced myself on my forearms so I could sit up a little bit and stare down at him. I once again had the urge to start crying again. "Ezio," I said quietly, my voice waving with pleadings.

He raised a brow at me, as if to ask 'what?'. My chest rose and fell sharply when I saw a glistening object ran across his lips. Oh God. Please, no, not the tongue. Not there.

His hands moved from my hips, pressing into his bed to cup around my ass. Then he lifted me to him, his tongue running across every place that it could. And—oh FUCK—he knew just how to use that tongue of his. I threw my head back and screamed at the sudden intensity, my legs pressing into the side of his head. Flicking, licking, devouring. Oh God, oh god. He shook his head back and forth, slowly at first, then so fast it sent my insides to seemingly melt into puddles, his rough jaw line rasping against my skin pleasantly.

"Ezio!" I cried out, my fingers digging into the blanket I was laying upon, my back arching more than what I thought was possible, my head thrown back into the mattress. Everything suddenly seemed to disappear around me, all focus landing on his tongue inside of me, the intensity pooling near my center until I was ready to—ready to—Oh God—until everything exploded, lights flashing in my eyes, a scream ripping through the air. It felt like I had just ran into a brick wall, broke it and all of the pleasure it had contained washed over me.

My back touched down to the bed again, my chest heaving, my face pulsing red, and I slowly regained consciousness enough to focus on Ezio standing above me again. I don't know whether it was because I was still falling down over the cliff of orgasms, but it took me a moment to realize that Ezio was _naked_ standing over me. I find it funny, now that I look back on it, that I felt rude for staring at his body for so long. Any rendering, any image that I had given myself of Ezio naked did him no justice. There was no embarrassment at first as I studied the strong body, his broad and strong shoulders and chest, a noticeable trail of dark Auditore hair trailing down his stomach line, a perfect treasure trail. And treasures it led to indeed. The member rooted there responded to my gaze, and although I knew the workings of a male body, I was still slightly shocked to watch it rise right before my eyes.

_There_ was the embarrassment. I quickly looked back up at Ezio, wide eyed and suddenly breathless.

He tilted his head at me innocently, and raised a brow at me, a not-so-innocent grin on his lips. "See what you do to me?" I gave no response;just stared up at him quietly. "And this isn't the only time. You may not know it or even believe it, but you have no idea how much I hold back around you, Narina."

I hesitated. "So, I guess it's a good thing your robes hide your crotch then."

Ezio busted out laughing, then, while still chuckling, he climbed up over me, taking a hold of my face in his hold, pressing his lips against mine passionately and I could taste myself upon his lips. I raised my hands and let them entwine into his hair, anchoring myself to him. He broke the kiss, placing his lips to the spot under my ear. Ezio moved his hands to my legs, lifting them up and spreading them wider so he could settle in between them. My breath hitched in my throat when I felt the silky tip of his manhood push into my folds, and I clamped my eyes shut tight.

_It was now or never..._

"Narina?" Ezio whispered into my ear.

"Hm?"

"I need you to take a deep breath for me."

"What?"

"Just do it."

Although I was confused, I sucked in a deep breath. "Now hold it." I did so, and then Ezio was pushing his lips to mine again, only this time, he wasn't doing it to be nice. Although I didn't know it at first, he was doing it to make sure I would shut up. There was a small pause, and then he pulled back his lips a bit. "_Mi dispace_, Narina."

Then in all one mix, he bucked his hips against mine, pushed his lips against mine just in time to muffle the scream of pain that ripped from my throat. I was being torn in half, ripped from the inside. The pain bolted to every nerve of my body, and I screamed over and over again, never before feeling such intense pain. I was too full of him—get the fuck out of me! There was no longer flames of desire through my body, and I felt a humiliating dose of tears form and fall from my eyes, streaming down into my hair. Ezio pulled his lips away again, and his fingers automatically went to wiping the streams from my eyes.

I opened my eyes slowly, looking up at Ezio who was staring down at me with a sincere and very apologetic look, and I found that I couldn't be mad at him really any more. "I think you just broke me in half," I whimpered.

Now done with wiping my tears away, his hands pried mine from the blanket (which, I didn't remember grabbing onto), and he entwined his fingers with mine, holding them to the sides of my head. "It's called 'I just took your virginity'."

I found enough of myself to be a bit facetious. "Oh, you little bastard," I whispered, trying to smile even though the pain was still streaming through my body.

Ezio smiled back, leaning down again and kissing me again softly. "My apologizes, _la mia cara_." It was surprising to see how well Ezio could contain himself. Sure, the sex-drive could be seen clearly in his eyes, the hunger, the want, but his actions were controlled, caring and slow, not wanting to hurt me again. I gripped back onto his hands and stared up into his eyes. The pain finally started to subside, and I think he knew it because I wasn't tense around him anymore.

"This will hurt for a bit," he whispered huskily to me. "So, I'm sorry."

I frowned, hooking my legs around his and letting my toes dig into his calves. "Stop apologizing and just fuck me already."

Those words seemed to break through his calmness, and I regretted saying them a second later.

He wasn't merciful. Even if I _was_ an inexperienced little virgin. He would force his hips to mine, delving deeper with every thrust, withdrawing slowly before ramming into me again. It _did_ hurt. I'm not going to lie. But it didn't hurt as bad as the first thrust had been and I was grateful for that. It was a shame that I couldn't be enjoying it as thoroughly as he was. I had never seen such a rapturous look upon Ezio's face in my entire life—not even when he had done those annoying little acts of him going through an orgasm whenever I'd yell at him for sleeping with a girl. I saw the sweat beads for upon his brow, drip slowly down his face, while he low groans would rumble in his throat.

"Oh my God," he groaned through clenched teeth. "You're so fucking tight."

I hummed a response, realizing in my own way that I was indeed a little on the tight side; it hurt enough that I could tell.

Ezio's rhythm, steady at first, began to grow faster in pace, his skin slapping against mine making a loud noise. His fingers between mine were gripping suddenly tighter, giving himself more leverage. And—AH!—he hit a spot so deep inside of me, a spot that made me gasp in pure pleasure, my back arching as if to give Ezio more of an easier entry point. Passion returned with a fiery vengeance, and I found that I couldn't get close enough to my assassin. I let go of his hands, shaking them away, wrapping my arms around his now sweaty shoulders and lifting my legs to brace themselves around his narrow and strong waist.

"Oh God, Ezio!" I moaned into his ear as he repeatedly hit the same magical spot again and again. He growled—_literally _growled—and one hand took a hold of my rear-end, moving it along with his hip, beckoning me to do it myself. I was a little clumsy and unsteady at first, but I don't think Ezio cared enough or even noticed. The movement made the pleasure increase ten-fold. Oh...oh...it was too much! I bit into Ezio's shoulders, trying to hold on for a little bit longer. I could feel myself teetering on the edge and...and. "OOH, FUCK!" I screamed, gripping onto Ezio in anyway I could, feeling like I had to literally be as close to him in any way possible. A wave of pleasure washed over me, and I felt myself gasp at the intensity of it. Ezio, grunting under his breath, kept pounding into me, if not even faster than before.

Good God, I was rising to the peak again already, Ezio _still_ hitting that wonderful spot again and again. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," I breathed in repetition into Ezio's ear. "Oh my fucking god! EZIO!" I screamed, hitting another wall of pure pleasure, this time being at least five times more sensual, tensing my whole body, then making it all turn into puddy. As I fell from my peak of pleasure, I felt Ezio tense under me, heard him groan loudly, then he shuddered violently, and I felt my lower tummy fill with heart; a burning, scalding heat unlike anything I had ever felt before. I felt so dizzy all of a sudden, the aftermath of the pleasure, the scent of his sweat and the rhythm of his unstable and ragged breaths made everything go hazy for a moment, and I felt my arms fall from around him and I felt myself fall into darkness for a lone moment.

* * *

**END OF SEXINESS D:**

**

* * *

**

I opened my eyes again not a moment later, laying back down on the bed, my arms laying above me on the bed. I lolled my head to the side to find Ezio laying next to me on his back, his head lolled to the side too, and a small, satisfied smile was on his face.

"I thought you passed out there for a second," he murmured, his voice still husky.

A small smile fell upon my own face. "I think I did."

Ezio laughed lowly, pushing himself up off of the bed, walking over to his desk, licking his fore-finger and thumb then putting out the candle with his damp fingers, sending the room into a form of darkness once again laced with moon-light. I managed to sit up myself, receiving a head-spin of vertigo, and I rubbed my head with my hands. I was shocked to be suddenly flung in the air, being picked up by Ezio. Did he really have this much energy after what just happened? I was exhausted! He didn't move me far, just cradled me to him, while he messed around with his blankets, flipping them over before he slid me into the bed. He followed in after me, placing the blanket over us.

Without a second thought, as soon as he was laid back down against the pillows, I leaned up against him, placing my head against his chest, letting my fingers rest against his stomach. I felt his arm wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to him, his other hand matching and entwining with mine across his stomach.

With the fires now quelled and my head swarming with wonderful images, I once again felt the warm, overwhelming feeling of love for the man laying with me. I focused on his stroking fingers, running slowly up and down my side, his thumb stroking over the back of my hand before I cleared my throat.

"Ezio?"

"Yes?"

I tilted my head to the side a little bit to kiss his chest softly, and his roaming fingers at my side stopped and pulled me closer. No. If I was going to do this, I wanted to do it right. Pushing myself up off of him, letting my hand keep in contact with his, I stared down at him, into his eyes that glowed so magically in the moon-light.

I took a deep breath, wondering were all my courage from before had gone."Ezio, I love you."

His eyes, which I had noticed looked tired, warmed at my words, and a bright smile formed on his lips. His hand that had been at my side reached up and touched my face, caressing my cheek for a moment before he took a hold of my neck and pulled me down for a soft and loving kiss. Then when he broke he, he sat there staring into my eyes for the longest time, his thumb stroking my cheek.

I was happy that he accepted it so readily. But I was sad that it seemed like I wasn't going to get a confession back. I guess, in all truths, I wasn't really expecting one. I just knew that Ezio cared for me in some little way, and that's all that mattered to me.

I settled back into his side, resting my head upon his chest, which heaved mightily once before his breaths became more calm and even. I watched the moon outside the window for a moment, allowing my mind to slowly let go the ties that held me to consciousness, and then I fell asleep to the low drawl of Ezio's breathing.

* * *

***covers face *  
****You have no idea how embarrassing this was for me. It's been _years_ since I've written a sex scene, so I may be a little rusty. My apologies. **

**So, there you have it. Narina loves Ezio. They've totally banged each other.  
****What'll the rest of the family say? *snickers ***

Yes, this chapter should have been split into two... but you all can suck it up and read it in one go, right? :3

**Thanks and review!**


	24. Prone to the Truth

**-*falls over* Homework sucks soooo freaking bad!  
****-So, I started to play 'Dragon Age: Origins' this weekend...oh my goodness...it's like, amazing! I f-ing love it so much! It's been so intriguing that I worry if I play ACB before it, I will lose interest in my Assassin! :I But I won't let that happen! I'll beat DAO first before I go hardcore on ACB. ^^**

**Thanks for the reviews!:  
SporkedGamer  
Dragon's-Maidens  
Popdude125  
****Insanity Is Iminent  
anon  
****Dunedain789  
****lightan117  
****Acro111  
****Phoenixlivesagain  
****LovelyDayDreamer1983  
****Deathdragon130  
****pinkrollingstone  
****brittany  
****Draconlaris  
****Aarie (for twice. ^^)  
****sandradee27  
****IpiRayan  
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jazz-sparks  
****UchihaAkia  
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****Katalystic13  
****Dawn Gray Manson  
****DominoCat**

* * *

_Nobody loves no one.  
_"_Wicked Game" _by Giant Drag

* * *

**Chapter 23: Prone to the Truth**

I felt the sunshine on my bare shoulder and neck, warm and comforting before I slowly opened my eyes, blinking lazily a few times.

_Mmmm..._.I was so warm and cozy. It was like those sun rays upon that patch warmed my whole body, every inch of my skin. Oh,what was that pleasant noise humming in my ear? My consciousness finally caught up with my sight and I found myself staring up at Ezio's strong neck, jaw and chin. The warmth upon my waist and middle back was the result of his large hands upon my bare skin.

Wait...bare skin?

I squirmed around a bit in his hold, feeling my skin run against his everywhere I had been touching him (which seemed like everywhere). Memories of the night before flooded through my mind and I immediately felt my cheeks heat up.

My movement must have woken him up, for Ezio suddenly groaned in his throat and one of his hands reached up from under the blanket to rub at his eyes. I pushed up off of him, sitting up and stretching, arching my back and raising my arms above my head. There was a pop and I sighed, relaxing and rolling my head. My legs hurt, I noticed as I shifted about on my rear, and my back wasn't feeling all too hot either. I jumped when something brushed up along my spine, sending shivers up my back. I looked over my shoulder at Ezio, who was lounged back against his pillows, the morning sun dripping across his face, lightening his smile. One arm was placed back behind his head and the other was pressing it's fingertips into my skin along my spine.

"_Buon giorno, la mia bella cara _(good morning, my beautiful dear)_._" I smiled lightly at his voice, and I let myself fall back against his arm, to which he pulled me to him, embracing me in his strong hold.

"Mmm," I purred. "_Buon giorno_." He pulled me on top of him so I was straddling his stomach. His lips reached up and brushed against my throat, making another round of hums sing through me. I tilted my head down so that I could press my lips to his.

We sat there for a few minutes, kissing each other softly, laughing lightly between our breath. And then, all too soon, reality slipped through the open hole in his floor, floating up with a boisterous laugh that I knew to be Mario's.

Propping myself upon my elbows on his chest, I pulled away from his kiss and smiled down upon his weary form. "What time is it?"

Ezio's eyes shifted away from me, over to the window, and he pulled a pout as he judged the light. "Breakfast time, I'm hoping." We shuffled about a bit, climbing off of the bed and we gathered our clothes and placing them back on—Ezio pulling my vest over my head, while I helped him tighten and straighten his robes. I made a move to walk over to the hole in his floor to go downstairs, but then I was suddenly restrained by my elbow. When I turned, Ezio's lips met against my forehead, his long fingers dropping and threading with mine.

"Thank you," he whispered against my skin, holding tighter onto my hand.

I wasn't sure why he was saying thanks, but I squeezed back on his hand for a reply.

I'm pretty sure everyone heard us coming, because it was silent when we walked into the dining room. I felt self conscious, the way everyone was staring at me—_yes,_ only _me—_and also by the large grin on Mario's face. I internally sighed, knowing I was about to go through hell this morning.

Ezio calmly walked around the table to take his normal spot next to Claudia, who was still staring at me with wide, brown eyes. I reluctantly sat next to Ugo, who, even though it wasn't evident on his face, I could practically hear him laughing. This fine breakfast would be the most embarrassing event in my life.

At first, it seemed like I would get through without a problem; everyone started to talk amongst themselves again, eating slowly and taking their eyes off of me. However, when I was taking the last sip of my morning tea, Ugo turned to me, his elbow upon the table, his head in his hand.

"So," he casually started. "How was his cock?"

Shocked, I choked on my tea, spitting it out across the table, barely missing Ezio on the other side. I turned to Ugo with wide eyes and scalding cheeks. "Oh my God, Ugo!" I snapped, totally appalled.

Ugo grinned and shrugged. "What? I'm pretty sure everyone else in the entire town wants to know." I saw Maria and Claudia raise their hands to their mouths, covering their giggles.

"Ugo," I said in a half-upset, half-warning tone.

"I don't think that they were aware, but the head board was hitting the wall too," Mario put in with a large grin. "But I guess you couldn't hear it over the screams!"

"Mario!" I squeaked, covering my face with my hands.

"I think she's the loudest I have ever heard!" Claudia put in, her giggles breaking through her facade.

That was the last straw! I pushed up from the table. "Okay! That's it! I'm eating outside now!" I picked up the plate with the last of my meal on it and turned to walk out the room.

"Hey, she walks sort of funny now. God, you tore her up, didn't you Ezio?" Ugo's laughs busted up before everyone else's did, and, straightening my walk, I continued out the door.

The cool morning air was crisp to my face as I walked out into the back courtyard, huffing, pouting and blushing as I stomped to one of the benches up against the Villa wall. Stopping and staring at the bench, I threw my almost empty plate onto the stone work, then hoisted myself up onto the bench, pulling myself up onto the side of the Villa. I needed to get away. Calm my thoughts. Resist the urge to punch Ugo in the face. I pulled up onto the roof, lifting my face up into the nice breeze that cooled my cheeks. I sighed and fell back onto the roof spread-eagle. Even through all the embarrassment I had just went through, I still smiled at the thought of Ezio shuddering over me, and a whole new round of blush dusted across my cheeks. I giggled lightly under my breath, allowing myself to rest my arms up above me, lying against the rooftop gently.

The morning sun was delightful—not too hot and yet just warm enough to be comforting. Summer could be smelt upon the soft breeze that twisted in the morning light, causing the leaves in the trees to shuffle in a low hum. The towns people could be heard, a light drawl of voices along with the sounds that ensured the town was clamoring to life slowly. If I strained my ears enough, I could even hear the horses down at the stables whinnying out at the stable boy, and the clinking of the tiles. Wait, what?

I glanced up from the spot on the sky I had locked my gaze upon, and I found myself staring up at Ezio, who towered over me, grinning down at me.

"You looked a little flushed," he pointed out, stepping around me, taking a spot next to me on the roof. I sat up next to him.

"Yeah. I wonder why." I drew my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms about them and leaning my head upon my knee-caps so that I could stare over at the assassin next to me.

Ezio chuckled. "Do not mind them," he suggested, staring out over the lands. "They do not mean any harm in it, I promise. It's all fun and games."

I sighed. "I hate games when I am the one to be embarrassed."

There was a pause. "What is there to be embarrassed about?"

Confused, I furrowed my brow at Ezio. "Well, everyone knows that we...well, what happened last night because I'm apparently really loud." I frowned. "That's what's embarrassing first of all."

As if to mock me, he started to laugh, but gave a poor attempt to cover it, like he wanted me to see his grin. Eager to defend myself, I sat up straighter. "Second of all, I feel like everyone looks at me and sees me as a whore now."

Ezio didn't find this one as funny at the first. His smiled disappeared and his warm eyes narrowed. "Why would having sex with me make you a whore?"

Sighing, I shrugged and placed my chin back upon my knees. "That's just what I personally assumed about every girl you've been with. Why should I be of any difference in other peoples eyes as your earlier women were to me?"

He didn't miss a beat. "Well, I'm the one who has taken your virtue. It is not like you've been sleeping around for years before."

My lips drew together into a pout at that. "You're always going to live up to that accomplishment, aren't you?"

"That I took your virginity?" A grin. "Oh, yes, of course I will."

A rather large sigh pushed through my lips. "How wonderful," I mumbled, adjusting my gaze to the lands that stretched out before us. "I'll become just like every other girl out there, right?" There was only a small hesitation before I continued. "I mean, I had always held the title of the woman who had stayed at Ezio's side for years without him ever touching me. Now? Now, I'm like every other girl."

I avoided Ezio's gaze after I was done speaking, for I didn't want him to see the worry in my eyes as I remembered that I had confessed to him, but I had yet to get one in return. Was I even going to get one? This made me...well, worried.

His voice touched me first, which was odd, considering the fact that Ezio liked to at least touch my face or elbow when we talked of such things. And this also led to uncertainty. "Narina, know that you _are_ different," he murmured, his voice smooth and soft, comforting at the sound. "Don't try to play this 'now I'm like them' card. You know I care about you a lot more than I do with any other woman I have been with."

The words formed in my brain, but my mouth didn't know how to speak them. I stared quietly over the rolling hills, allowing my legs to stretch back out again. Leaning back on my hands, I sighed lightly and let my eyes close. "I have a feeling this is going to be harder than I first thought," I whispered, watching as I slightly let my feet sway from side to side.

"With what?"

I turned my head slightly to look up into Ezio's eyes. "Nothing. Forget I said anything." With that, I pushed up off of the roof and onto my feet. "We have bigger matters upon our hands than my blundering mind, anyways." Ezio stood up next to me, wordless. I hesitated, but looked up into his face. "We have Ugo leaving today, and I would wish to see him off."

Ezio nodded slowly. "And to me as well."

My brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"  
The assassin folded his arms and positioned himself in a stance that told me there would be no argument. "I'm heading over to Florence with Ugo today. I'll collect my own information about the Carliales Family—more convenient that way."

"Ugh!" I growled, throwing my hands up. "You never tell me when we're leaving to go some place; I'm always in a hurry to gather my things and such!"

"Narina, you're not coming with me."

More confusion flooded me, but a little vine of anger twisted it's way around with it. "What? Why would I stay here?"

"Must I spell it out for you?" Ezio said exasperatedly. "If you come to _Firenze_ with me, you'll be that much closer to being captured by this family! I will not take such a risk."

Pouting, I put my hands on my hips and made my own stance. "I can care for myself;besides, the boy was in _Venezia_ the last we heard of him. He's halfway across Italy! We've nothing to worry."

"Narina, _you_ were in Venice the last you heard of him. For all we know, he could have simply followed behind you."

I frowned, seeing his point. "Well, it's nothing I can't handle."

Ezio's face was set in stone, full of authority. "You are not coming."

"You can't stop me."

"I can tie you to the bed to make sure you don't." He paused briefly, then grinned. "That way, I could have plenty of fun with you when I arrived home again."

"Ezio," I whined, ignoring his remark. "You are hardly being fair."

He held up a hand to stop me. "I'm not arguing on this. Besides, Mario is in need to get some errands done around the Villa, and I think it be best that you stay behind and deal with them."

"Oh, is that how it is?" I huffed angrily. "Leave Narina behind so she can do all the housework? I see how you think!" I brushed past him and made my way over the arc of the roof. "I'll just go beg Ugo to take me along with him and then you'll see."

Ezio's fingers were suddenly around my left wrist, pulling me back towards him. I opened my mouth to yell at him, to tell him to let me go, but his arms were suddenly about my waist, his forehead presses to mine.

"Let's not talk about Ugo anymore," Ezio hummed, his intentions clear in the husky tone of his voice. His golden eyes were piercing into mine. How sharp and beautiful they were, brooding and breathtaking. Oh, how hard those eyes made it to be mad at the Assassin! No matter how much I enjoyed it, I told myself that I hated the fact that his kisses sent my mind all awry. Within only moments, I had found myself back against the rooftop, my hands entwined with Ezio's, his legs pinning mine down against the warm tiles. His warm kisses were being pressed against my neck, right under the spot beneath my ear, causing small mewls to slip from my lips.

However my body began to react when I started to place in the images of the night before with the position I was in, I reminded myself that, for one, we were on a roof of a rather tall building. If things were to get a little out of hand, I could find either myself or Ezio, or both, tumbling down over the edge. Besides, the thought of the bruises in my back the hard tiles would surly give me made the idea a little less appealing.

Oh, and yes, I was mad at him right now. Right? Right.

I managed to wriggle out from his hold, and I _did_ realize that only reason I was able to was because he _allowed_ me to. If he really wanted to bang me on the roof just now, like, really, _really_ bad, I wouldn't have even be able to lift a finger. "Nice try," I said, pushing myself up off of the roof and onto my feet.

Ezio grinned and stayed sitting down on the roof, tilting his head back to look at me. "It was a fine attempt, no?"

"Yeah, I guess so." I made my way over to the edge of the roof and looked down over the edge, planning my descent.

"Narina?"

"Hm."

"You're not coming with me."

Finally, I sighed and gave in. "Fine, fine. But if anything exciting happens and I miss out on it, I will be very, very upset with you."

A chuckle beat from his chest. "Fair enough." He stood, and followed behind me as we dropped back down to the ground.

* * *

Ezio must have told his family to lay off of the jokes before he came out after me, for they didn't tease me much afterwords. Sure, I got the occasional wink from Mario and the wide grins and giggles from Claudia. Maria seemed to accept it fully, only giving me warm smiles now instead of her wide eyed surprise.

Ugo, shockingly, didn't even bring it up again; he didn't even imply that he knew. But then again, I had hardly seen Ugo that morning due to the fact he was packing up supplies that Mario insisted that the take from the villa. I ran a few trips into the town to get Ezio some medicine, herbs, and other supplies for his trip. He had no idea how long it would take him to figure out what he needed to in Florence, but we were prepared for anything.

When the sun was hanging in the middle of the sky, letting its heated fingers poke at the lands, the boys announced their departure. On my way to go see them off, I bought some smoke bombs for Ezio and took them to him at the stables. Both him and Ugo were tightening up the straps on the horses, patting the down and hooking on their packs. Ezio, turning and seeing me at my approach, smiled warmly and greeted me with a nod.

"Here are some smoke bombs," I explained, handing him the pouches that I had filled with the orbs. "I don't need you really dying now, so make sure you are always hidden, okay?"

Ezio nodded, placing the orbs in one of his packs. "You worry too much, Narina. I'll be fine."

Not wanting to argue any more, I turned to Ugo, who was pulling himself up onto his horse. "And you, Ugo; please be careful as well. And send Paola my regards, won't you?" Ugo nodded lazily, telling me that he had already assumed I would say as such. "And tell Antonio that I am sorry." I tilted my head at the young thief when he threw me a confused look, trying to tell him that my apology was for the worry I had sent the man through.

My attention was drawn back to Ezio, who had swung himself up into his saddle. As he adjusted himself, I walked up to the horse and petted its muzzle, giving the dark furred horse a small coo before I pressed myself against its chest, tucking myself under its neck and against its shoulder so I could look up at Ezio.  
"Please be safe," I whispered to him, placing my cheek against the steeds broad and strong neck, Ezio's eyes smoldering down at me from the shadows of his hood.

"I will." He leaned forward over the saddle, casting the hood shadow over my own face as he gave me a soft and small kiss. "I'll be back in about a week." As he sat straight in his saddle, I stayed were I was against the horse, staring up quietly at Ezio for a moment. The sun above him turned him into a silhouette of some kind, making him almost look as though he was glowing, his white robes reflecting the strong and bright light. The assassin took a moment to stare back at me, then he shook his head slowly. "Do not stare at me in such a sad manor. I would have you be happy when I return."

One of my brows raised, but a smile appeared on my lips. "Since when have you thought you would ever be able to boss me around?"

The grin that appeared from under his hood made me shudder. "I know your weak spot now, and with knowledge of where that little spot is, I'm sure I can get you to do whatever I wish, hm?"

I heard Ugo's snicker, and I frowned deeply and back away from the horse, folding my arms tightly. "Fine. I'll make sure to smile oh-so-very brightly when you come riding back," I spat in sarcasim. "Have a nice trip, _asino_."

Ezio pulled on the reigns, causing his horse to turn towards the long road that led to the rest of Italy. "I'll make sure to bring you back a present then!" Laughing, he beckoned his horse to begin to run down the path, Ugo nodding to me before he followed after the Assassin.

"It better be something shiny!" I screamed after him, wanting to have the last say in the small argument. I doubt he even heard me, though, for he was suddenly so very far down the road, the dust kicked up from the hooves of the horses skewing my view of them. I watched the two of them ride off until I couldn't see them anymore, and I sighed loudly, turning around and making my way back into Monteriggioni.

* * *

As it turned out, some of the tasks Mario had me do were sort of...well, not fun, but defiantly not boring either. I had to go down into the tunnels in the Villa to make sure they still worked. The mechanisms down in the tunnels were similar to those I remember from the Assassin Tomb back in Florence. However, whenever I would test out the gates, I felt like I was being overly loud, the way the crashed down so quickly.

Another thing I had to do that surprised me: help Mario train Claudia.

Mario had finally explained to Claudia what the order of the Assassin's was, and, after years and years of begging, Mario was finally going to start training her. I don't know why he thought it necessary, but he insisted that I would train her as well. Guess it had to be the fact that we were both women or something like that. Before she could start handling a sword, I had to teach her how to stand firmly on her own two feet. Her lessons from her brothers years before must have gone rusty, for she had to start from scratch. I found that I,too, had gotten a little rusty in my fighting stances, Mario having to correct me many times. Not being able to kill was seriously making me get a little out of shape, for by the time the day was done, I would be totally beat and fall to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The training preoccupied me for the weeks that Ezio were gone; well, for the week and a half he had been gone, anyways. About ten days after Ezio rode down the rode on his way to Florence, there was announcement that he was riding back up the road once again throughout the entire town. I would have ran to greet him, for I had missed him greatly, even though I hadn't really realized due to training, but Mario wouldn't allow me to leave the training ring. We were teaching (and re-teaching me) Claudia how to fore-see her enemies moves and how to keep a calm stance all throughout it.

Claudia...she had the potential to be a great Assassin. She was confident and strong, brazen yet totally under control. And she had the ability to kill, or, so I assumed. Her first kill wouldn't happen in years, I convinced myself, for there would never be an opportunity for her to do so otherwise for many years.

While I made a small, series of attacks at Claudia, allowing her enough time in between for now to register my stance and my movements to judge on what I was to do next, I heard Mario greet Ezio from across the courtyard, making my attention flit over to the Assassin walking up the stairs and towards the training ring. His eyes widened at the sight of his younger sister in the ring with me, but he didn't ask anything and threw a hug upon Mario. I felt something shift in the reunion, both Claudia and I allowing our wooden training swords to lower down in our hold.

I couldn't hear the uncle and nephews words as they spoke quietly, but I saw the concern on Mario's face as Ezio whispered to him. I noticed that Mario's glances kept landing upon me over and over again.

_Uh-oh_, I thought. _Ezio must have found something out about the boy_. I let the sword drop to the training ring ground, and I walked over to the edge of the ring. They finished talking as I approached them, and before I could say anything, Mario ran off in the direction of the town, hell bent on whatever it was Ezio asked of him.

"Hey," I started, climbing over the small fence. "What's going—?"

Without a word, Ezio grabbed my wrist roughly and started to drag me towards the villa. As I tripped and tried my hardest to keep up with him, I demanded to know what was going on.

"You're in danger," Ezio explained in a rushed voice. "You're in big danger."

"What? Why?"

Ezio tugged me through the Villa, into Mario's office where the pressed the small button on the wall to open up the way to the Assassin Sanctuary down below. If it wasn't for the little support Ezio was already giving me by his seizing hand, I would have fallen flat on my face as I was rushed down the stairs into the large, round room. At first, I thought Ezio had tugged me behind just to make me watch him put in another round tablet into its slot, but then he stopped once we were in the middle of the room and he let go of me, turning his hardened gaze down upon me.

Slightly frightened, I shrunk down from his stare, almost cringing from the intensity in his stare.

"Where is it?" He whispered lowly and quietly, his eyes narrowing.

"Where is what?" I asked quietly, scared by how angry and upset Ezio looked.

Ezio's hands took a hold of my shoulders suddenly, his fingers digging into my arms, making flinch and stare wide-eyed at Ezio. "Where is the Piece of Eden?

* * *

**The plot finally starts to rear it's ugly head, my friends. It tickles me to think about it, and I'm way excited to begin working with it! :D**

**Sorry the chapter was short...an apology for the long ass one last time, I guess.**

**Please Review! :3**


	25. Yet Living the Lie

**ATTENTION READERS!**

I'm afraid I have some somewhat sad news...I have decided to put this story off for a few weeks. I wouldn't have even updated this chapter, but, due to the fact of how many people reviewed, saying that they couldn't wait for the next chapter, I couldn't leave all of them hanging from the cliff-hanger I ended on. Although it saddens my heart to even write this down, I'm afraid my desires are in another department right now. BUT!-do not think this is the end of the story. Oh, no, I love this story way too much to leave it unfinished. After a few weeks of sating my other writing hungers, I will start to write this story again. However, after this chapter, do not expect one for a good while.

**If you feel you must rant about it, do not fill up the review pages with it. If you want more information about it or just want to talk it out with me, please _message_ me.**

* * *

**ANYWAYS!  
-This chapter...is very, mucho, important to my plot.  
-I tied the last chapter title to this one. So it's "Prone to the Truth...Yet Living The Lie".  
-I'm sad my Thanksgiving Weekend in over. :(**

**Thanks for the reviews, my faithful readers!:  
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* * *

**Chapter 24: Yet Living the Lie**

"The what?" I stood breathless in Ezio's hold, staring up into his eyes with fear.

He shook me lightly, but firmly. "Where is the Piece of Eden, Narina?"

"I-I don't know!" I struggled in his hold. "Please let go of me! You're hurting me!"

"Damn it, Narina!" Ezio complied and let go of me, but his harsh stare was still pinned on me. "That's the reason they're after you—_you_ have the piece of Eden!"

A course of shock ran through me, and I gave Ezio a confused look. "They think I have the stupid little artifacts? Well, I don't! I'm pretty sure I would know if I had this almighty, Godly power on my hands." I was beginning to get a little upset by the fact that Ezio would think that I would have kept something like that from him if it even had been true.

Ezio's gaze didn't even soften a little bit. "You've forgotten that you hold it," he explained. "I heard it all—Lucio Carliaes talked about it with one of the other members of the Templar order. The reason they need you is because you hold the power of the Pieces of Eden."

I stood straight, letting my face fall into a similar state as his. "Ezio, I swear to God, I would _know_ if I had something like that upon my hands—it doesn't matter if I forgot about it or not! Power like that can't be hidden!"

Ezio sneered. "Then you know where the pieces are, and they wish to rape your mind to find the answer and clues to were they are!"

"You just switched your story!" I yelled. "Did they say I had it or not?"

"They said you know the power of what it feels like to hold the Power of Eden in your hands!" Ezio reached out to me again, taking a hold of my arms once again, only this time, the hold was much more gentle. "Narina," he whispered, suddenly pulling me close to him. He looked loving into my eyes for a moment. "Please tell me if you can—I want to make sure you are safe." His forehead was pressed to mine. "If you know, we need to give them the information they seek—for your safety."

"Ezio." I pushed away from him. "I don't know what they are talking about. I've no idea where the pieces of Eden lie." I paused. "Besides, would we really want to give our enemy the ultimate power just to make sure I'm safe? Isn't that being a little selfish?"

In all my days with him, I had never seen Ezio look so sad before. Without a word, he stared down at me with emotion raging in his eyes, begging me to understand that this is what he felt was best. And I couldn't take that look anymore—I hated it. I didn't want to see Ezio looking so sad and...and alone.

"Look; if I remember anything, if I come across anything, I'll make sure to tell you." I reached up and touched his rough jaw, looking up into his saddened eyes. "As for me, I'll make sure I'll stay out of trouble, okay?"

"You _will_ stay out of trouble," Ezio murmured. "You are not to leave the Villa until matters get under control."

That sounded a bit extreme, but I wasn't about to deny Ezio right now, so I nodded in understanding. "Alright, if you think it best."

Ezio gave a half-attempted smile, letting his head swoop down and his lips press again mine. "I would have you safe, Narina, nothing less." His words pressed into my lips while his fingers twisted into my hair.

"Do not forget that I'm not the only one you are to be worried about." I kissed him once more before setting myself away from him. I stared up into his still saddened eyes. "You have a whole country to be aware of."

Ezio sighed, pulling me into his embrace. "I know." I had a feeling that I wouldn't be seeing much of Ezio anymore, and then there was the foolish wave of tears I tried to hide by pressing my face into Ezio's chest. I wasn't going to lie—I was scared for some reason, and it wasn't the normal scared for Ezio's safety either. It was more fear for myself now, and whether that be selfish or not, I recognized it at any rate. And, I also thought it was all a bunch of fowl-play. Knowledge of the Pieces of Eden? I think my past self (the one that held all of my lost memories) would allow something of such magnitude to come back to me, no?

Or, perhaps, I was meaning to hide it all along. Which explanation it was, I had no clue, but I certainly wasn't liking this situation.

* * *

I would find myself not liking it even more weeks afterwords. When Ezio said he didn't want me to leave the Villa, he literally meant he didn't want me to leave the Villa. With the help of Mario and a few mercenaries, Ezio was able to keep me stowed away in the Villa. Whenever Ezio was out of town or left for more information on the Carliaes boy, Mario would poke me around to doing something for him in the Villa. I was pissed and upset. I liked my outside time, but now, I couldn't even feel the sunshine on my skin without it having to go through a window first.

It ended up being like this: Mario and Claudia training out in the courtyards while_ I_ ran and managed the money of the city. Total bullshit, I know. Sometimes, I'd help Maria with a few things of her own, but nothing too exciting happened there due to Mario's growing servant staff. I think the highlight of my lock down was helping the Architect guy figure out what we were to do with all the money Ezio had donated to the cause. The Art shop was renovated, my more feminine side saying that the city needed some class in it aside from the flowing, red banners on the Brothel in the corner of the town. Then, with great debate, I decided on renovating the Armorers up another level, hoping that, now in a better position, more useful weapons would be available.

There was one thing I had been right about all along—I didn't see Ezio much at all. About once every two weeks, to tell the truth. I wasn't sure what was taking him so long to pin down and take care of the problem, but I hadn't ever the chance to ask him myself. I found it comforting, though, the nights he was able to stumble home, he'd come crawl into my bed instead of hauling himself up into his room. I'd wake up to his hands on my stomach, his breath falling against my neck. And I loved those nights—I would hum in delight in my sleepy haze, rolling over so I could press myself closer to him while he laid soft kisses upon my brow. I'm not ashamed to admit that I would go to sleep every night, hoping that I would be awaken by his strong hands and hot breath.

A month passed. If it were not for Maria's soft spoken words and a few books I found in Mario's office, I think I would have gone crazy. There was always jealousy within me when I watched Mario and Claudia train outside from my window. I started just leaving my window open, my arms hanging out the window while my head rested upon the sill.

I was in a similar position the day Ezio walked into my room, only up in Maria's room for she was stitching one of my torn shirts. Since I was at the window, I had watched him walk up the stairs and into the Villa, so I wasn't all surprised when he walked into the room.

"Mother," he greeted, giving his mother a small greeting kiss as she momentarily placed my shirt aside.

"How are you, my son? I haven't seen you for a while."

"I've been better." Ezio then walked over to me at the window, causing me to sit up in my chair from my slumped position so I could look up at him. Instead, he stooped down at my side, reaching up and pulling down his hood to show me his weary, golden eyes. "How have you been fairing, Narina?"

I frowned. "I want to go outside. Now."

He laughed, despite my angry look, and he stood straight again. "It's still too dangerous for that, I'm afraid. Especially since the kid has gone missing."

I shot my gaze up to his face. "What do you mean, 'missing'?"

Ezio grew serious again. "We were trying to keep tabs on him in _Firenze_. We thought we were doing pretty well, up until, well, he just wasn't there anymore. He slipped through our guard, and there's no saying where he is now."

A sigh fell from my lips. "So, I'm guessing that's why you're here? To make sure he doesn't storm the Villa?"

"Exactly."

"Ezio," I whined. "I really want to go outside. Just for a few minutes. Please?"

His chuckles were deep in his chest, and he reached down to take my hand so he could pull me up out of my chair. "No," he hummed, resting his hands upon my hips. "I'm sorry, but no." Since we were in his Maria's room _with_ Maria present, I was surprised when Ezio leaned over and kissed me softly, pulling my hips towards his. Although I was curious about her reaction, I was suddenly enjoying Ezio more at the moment. I had forgotten how good his kisses felt against my own, and there was defiantly nights in the month of his momentary leave that I had wished him in my bed with me for reasons more than his warmth. I was under no illusions that Ezio hadn't been able to hold out like I had. I presumed that the brothel at Florence had been busy the past weeks, and instead of getting mad over it, I accepted it. I would take what I could.

Apparently, the kiss grew too 'seasoned' for Maria's tastes, for she cleared her throat, and I realized that my arms were up around Ezio's neck, pulling him down to me.

"By all means," Maria started, "please continue. But in other room, perhaps? I mean, really, you two have your own room for such things, no?"

Blushing, I let go of Ezio and stammered my quiet apology. Ezio, on the other hand, grinned at his mother. "As much as I would like to take up that offer, Mother, I really can't. I must speak with Mario about patrols for the city for now." He turned to me again. "By the way, nice renovations on the town. It's already bringing more people into the town."

"Ah, yes, of course."

"Now I must take my leave." He placed another kiss upon my forehead, gave a nod in the direction of his mother before he walked out of the room. I stared after him in a silent daze, wishing this whole thing would just blow over so I could actually have some fun—whether it be with Ezio or just the outside air.

Maria's small chuckle brought me out of my daze and over to her. "You seem quite taken with him," she pointed out, a sly smile on her face.

I sucked in a breath, but smiled softly. "Yes, well, I believe I am."

Maria picked up my half sewn shirt again. "I think you are the only girl who has ever been so."

My brow furrowed in confusion. "Um, with all due respect, Maria, have you _not_ noticed how many girls he's bedded?"

"I tend to tune out the screams." A small glint formed in her eye when she looked up at me. "Sometimes, they are so loud that I can no longer block them out, though." My stomach clenched and my cheeks were suddenly on fire. They were never going to let me live that down. "But in reality, Narina, do those girls care about Ezio? Think about it."

I gave her a tilt of my head, telling her I didn't understand.

"In a woman's eye, she takes one look at Ezio, and what does she see?"  
I thought back to my first moment of seeing Ezio. "A very handsome man...who's very perverted?"

A smile appeared on Maria's face. "Well, yes, that too, but when a woman looks upon my son, they soon realize that he is an easy night with no strings attached. They don't care whom he is, what his story is—they only care about his handsome face and well tested sex tactics."

A pause. "Doesn't Ezio know that?" I whispered.

"Oh, yes. He is very well aware of it." Maria finished up the stitching and folded the shirt, handing it into my arms. "He's accepted the fact as well as I have." As I took a hold of the cloth, prepared to tuck it into my arms, my pull was restrained from Maria's grasp, not allowing me to take the shirt. I looked up into her eyes, suddenly confused. Her dark yet warm eyes pried into mine, seeming to dig deeper and deeper in my soul. "Narina, may I ask you something?"

I swallowed back a set of concern. "What's on your mind?"

"Do you love my son?"

My stomach dropped violently and I stared up into Maria's eyes with my own widened with shock. Why was she asking this so suddenly? I wasn't sure on how to reply, or what she wanted to hear. I pressed my lips together momentarily before I looked down at my feet and whispered, "yes. I do."

Maria's hand cupped around my chin, making me look up into her eyes once more. "And have you told him this?"

I slowly nodded. "Yes. I have."

"Good." She let go of my chin, allowing me to take the shirt and returning back to the side of her bed were she sat, and smiled up at me. "Of all the things that he has heard in his life, I'm sure your words touched him the deepest."

Her face fell when I started to slowly shake my head. "I'm not the only one who has said it to him. Cristina said that to him all the time, and—."

"My son is no fool, Narina," Maria cut me off. "He knows the difference between 'I love your penis' and 'I love you'."

I blushed, but was not surprised that Maria was so brazen about it all. She always had the knack for not being embarrassed about the more naturally embarrassing things in life. "What are you saying, Maria?"

"What I'm saying, my dear, is that Ezio has never had a girl actually love _him_ before. And a girl that loves him_ and_ his penis...well, that's all the more amazing to him."

I suddenly remembered Ezio the morning after we woke up together, when he had held my hand and whispered a 'thank you' to me. It all made sense now. Ezio was thanking me for loving him for who he was.  
The thought, oddly, brought tears to my eyes and the next thing I knew I was pulled into Maria's embrace. I wasn't sure whether the tears were for being happy or not. It was sad to think that Ezio would have toactually _thank_ me for loving him, but I was happy that I was the only one.

Maria held me close to her, stroking my hair gently. "You are dear to him, Narina, if this locking you away wasn't proof enough. He does not want to lose you."

I pressed my face into her shoulder. "Don't ask me to think he feels the same way," I whispered. "For if I believed hoped that he did, and he'd turn around and prove so otherwise, I wouldn't be able to take it, I don't think."

Maria hummed. "Trust me, my dear; I know how hard it is to be in love with an Assassin." She held me away from her, smiling upon me. "Just give it time and things will happen as they shall."

* * *

After my talk with Maria, I really felt the need to be alone. I ended up circling around the villa several times until I found myself walking down into the Sanctuary. The room was so grand, so large, lit up with several candles that never seemed to burn out, along with the sun lit that lit up in a criss-cross pattern. I stayed upon the round platform that over looked the room for a moment as I stared over the statues that lined the room. Then I made my way around the room, looking over each of the statues carefully, realizing that there were now two of the circle tomes in their slots now instead of the one Ezio and I had found. Ezio must have found another sometime when I wasn't aware.

I stopped in front of the caged statue, the statue of Altair. I stared up through the bars at the stone figure and sighed.

"You've been in love before, right?" I leaned against the bars. "I guess you had to of been with the fact that Ezio is here, huh?" I paused. "I guess I have to thank you for that. If it wasn't for your love, I wouldn't be in love. Well, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I think it's a good thing." I tried to reach into the cage, trying to touch the statue but my arms were much too short. "Thank you, Altair." I felt like there was a lot I should have been thanking him for, although I had no idea as to why. There was a long moment where I let the silence surround me. Then I began to laugh at myself. "I'm talking to a statue! How silly." I pushed away from the bars, and made my way back to the to stairs that led out of the Sanctuary. But I spared a glance back and gave the statue a long look once more, giving my thanks mentally now, as if I were to be judged oh so harshly if I spoke them out loud.

* * *

I went to bed alone that night, not knowing where the hell Ezio had ran off again. There was the hope, though, that I would be woken up by him in the middle of the night once again and I was almost eager to have it happen.

Well, I got my wish. But it wasn't a the happy wake up call I wanted.

Instead of his hands calmly about my waist, they were shaking me awake frantically, making me flail out of my sleep and into a sitting position.

Ezio was sitting over me, his eyes filled with anger and fear. I didn't even have a chance to ask what was happening—Ezio simply picked me up into his arms and was running out of the room, out the back door of the villa.

Finally breaking through my sleepy stupor, I gripped onto Ezio tightly. "What's going on?" I couldn't even enjoy the cool night air on my skin, the open sky above me, the fresh air.

"They've come," Ezio growled.

"They're here? In Monteriggioni?"

"Yes. And they don't plan to give up until you're in their grasp."

"So you're going to let them ransack the town while I go free? Don't be stupid!" I started to struggle in his grasp. By this time, he had carried me to the end of the courtyard, at the edge of the tall hill that the Villa was upon. There was a small, rock ledge that jutted out, and there, Ezio sat me down on my feet. Without any other contact than the hand on my arm, he pointed down the edge of the cliff at a stack of hay that had been placed there.

"Jump down. There's a horse waiting for you down there. Run until you're safe, do you understand me?"

"Ezio, I don't—."

"_Farla capisce! _(Do you understand!)" Ezio exalted, the stress, the worry, the anger all in his eyes.

There was going to be no argument over this. Not now. I nodded slowly. "I do." I murmured.

Seeing that he had upset me, he allowed himself to give me a hug, his lips pressing into my hair. "Be careful, _mia cara_."

I wrapped my arms around him again. "You too." Pulling his head back just enough, he used his chin to guide my head upwards to face his and he pressed a kiss upon my lips.

"If you can, get to _Firenze _and take refuge with Paola. I'll return there as soon as I am able."

All too soon, he let go of me and turned to run back into the Villa. Before he could head off, I followed after him quickly and reached for his sleeve, tugging him back enough to make me look back at me.

"Ezio?"

He gave me an impatient look. "What?"

I stared at him for a moment, taking in his rigid body and his tensed expression. I held tighter onto his sleeve. "I love you. Please don't get hurt."

I only saw a glimpse of the shock on his face before I turned, ran and jumped off of the ledge. The air whistled in my ears loudly, and I was soon surrounded with hay in a bouncy landing. I climbed out quickly and, without a look back up, I climbed up onto the horse that had indeed been there waiting for me. Ezio must have had one of Mario's men place it there for me before he went and woke me up. Hoisting myself up into the saddle, I took a moment to rub the sleep out of my eyes, trying to keep the dim light path clear in the half-moon lit night. The horse side-stepped and nickered loudly, but adjusted nicely before I took a firm hold of the reigns and beckoned the horse to run. As I veered towards the path out of the lands of Monteriggioni, I kept my eyes upon the entrance when I passed. There were indeed strange horses clad in bag and leathers I had never seen before. The danger slowly set in then, and I began to realize just how much trouble I was in. How much trouble I was putting everyone else in. In a cloud of dust, I led the horse into a gallop, our destination North-ward to Florence.

* * *

I wasn't sure how long I had been riding for, but I blame it on my drowsy eyes that kept drooping for not being able to tell. And also for not seeing my ambush. There was a pass through a small set of hills that I rode through, the trees among the edges blocking out what little light I had before. I heard the arrows before I saw the people in the shadows. Panicked, I clicked my tongue for the horse to run faster, but I was suddenly falling, the horse crying out under me as it collapsed. I was sent flying across the road, hitting my head harshly against the ground or a rather hard rock, and my mind threatened to black out. I kept my conscious clear for a moment, looking up long enough to watch the men drop down from the shadows and surround my still crying horse, who was trying to stand upon a leg that had an arrow impaled through it. In addition to my weariness, my jumbled brain and aching skull caused my eyes to close. I didn't get to see, but I heard the swords slash through the air, and the horse gave out one last scream before it fell silent.

I struggled to keep my mind about, to fight off who ever had come, but my head was pounding so furiously. Then there was a presence above me, and I felt a leather covered finger brush against my cheek.

"Why, hello again, Miss Narina Auditore, no relation to the other Auditores." Wait. Whose voice was that? "It's a shame about the horse. I'm sorry that it had to come down to this, I really am." How insincere his voice was!

"You...who...are...?" I tried to ask, but I was suddenly blackening in and out of my mind.

"Save the questions for later, pretty lips. Now isn't the best time. Why don't you sleep for a bit, hm?"

I didn't have any other choice. No matter how hard I tried, I slipped into a state of unconsciousness.

* * *

When I awoke, I was alone. Not only that, but I was in a nicely furnished room, laying in a grand bed with silken sheets entrapped around me. For a moment, I was at a loss as to where I was and what had happened, but the memories slowly resurfaced, and I slowly sat up, rubbing the spot on my head where I remembered it pained me so much before. Not a moment later, the door opened, and a young man walked in, his dusty brown hair messy and his round, brown eyes seeming to laugh at me as he waltz in. I took note that he looked very familiar, like I had seen his face once before.

"It's good to see you are awake, Narina. How was your sleep?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "Who are you?"

The boy grinned, taking a seat in one of the chairs at the corner of the room. "You mean to tell me that you don't remember?" A pout fell upon his face, reminding me of a small boy. "Such a shame." He grinned again, folding his leg upon the other. "But I guess you can be forgiven. It has been quite some time, hasn't it?"

I felt my brow furrow. "I'll ask again—who are you?"

"It's good to see that assassin didn't take away that fiery side of you." He stood up from his seat and approached the bed. "I guess we can introduce each other again, no? My name is Lucio Carliaes, and you are Narina Auditore—but have no relation with the Auditores what-so-ever, right?"

I groped my mind for the name, and when I found it, I gasped and looked up at the young man. "You're that little rich snot I delivered the paintings to years ago?" The young boy who had reminded me of Ezio that day when Leonardo asked me to deliver paintings! Ah! How could I have forgotten so easily?

A frown graced his face. "Rich snot, is it? You were the one acting so unpleasant back then, not I. If you do not recall, I was the one who offered to take the heavy box from your hands."

I felt a sneer carve it's way into my face. "I knew something was weird about you. You're a Templar! I should have seen it sooner!"

"Now, now," Lucio amended. "Let's not be haste to judge, my dear. I am no Templar. I simply assist them. There is a difference."

"Yes, but you'll all end the same way," I spat. "Ezio's blade in your throat."

"Which blade are we talking about? From what I've heard, you've had his 'blade' in your throat as well."

In wide-eyed shock, I stared at the boy. "What? What ever you heard, you heard wrong!"

"All I've heard is that he's become intimate with our little treasure. Am I wrong?"

I growled. "I don't see why it's any of your business!"

Lucio laughed cheerfully. "You may not know it, my dear, but it's pretty much the entire worlds business."

"Quit speaking in riddles!" I snapped. "Tell me why you have kidnapped me!"

Lucio calmly leaned against the wall adjacent to the bed, staring over me quietly. "How about I explain in story form? I've not much time left to humor you." He held up a hand. "And before you ask why my time is limited, I'll give this to you straight. I'm about to die, by your Assassin, no doubt. He'll come crashing through that door in a matter of minutes and slay me. The least I can do is tell you a story from a time long before now."

"Why do I care about your stupid stories?"

Lucio smirked. "Because it affects everyone. You. Me. Your Lover. Even that thief boy you hung around with in _Venezia_." I stayed silent, suddenly wonder how close this boy had watched me—and more importantly, how he was able to pull it off.

"So," Lucio began, "this story starts off with a man living in the deserts to the east. Such a strong, good man he was. Upon his good nature for all to be well, he found and had the power of Eden within his custody without him even knowing. Now, when he figured out the power was there, he killed all who threatened the power he adored so much. Was he power hungry? No. But he didn't wish for those who would wrong the holy power to get a hold of it." By now, Lucio had made his way to sit on the edge of the bed, smiling at me softly. "Do you know what he did then, my dear?"

I frowned. "I'm guessing he hid the power."

"Indeed. But in order to hide it—,"Lucio suddenly leaned towards me, his face only inches from mine, his voice dropping down to a whisper, "-he created a lie."

I wasn't sure what it was, but I was suddenly so intrigued with the story. "A...a lie?" I whispered.

Seeing my interest, Lucio smirked in an odd way. "In order to protect the power, he lied to make sure it stayed hidden forever." He sat up straight again, pushing himself up off the bed as he walked back to the front of the bed. "'Twas a good lie. Even today, there are those who believe the lie." A smile. "But then there are people, like myself, who know the truth."

"Then what is the truth?"

Lucio laughed. "I'm sorry. My time is up, my dear. It's probably in your best interest to believe in the lie, anyhow. I don't need to go skewing your beliefs now. Goodbye, Narina. It was good to get to see you again."

When I went to object, suddenly willing to do anything to know the truth, the door was kicked in, and in a flash of white with a splatter of blood, Lucio lay dead on the floor, his throat slit and Ezio hovering over the boy, his robes spotted with red. There was a moment I was suddenly lost,eager to hear what truth Lucio had spoken of, wanting to know what he was even meaning. But it was too late now—I would never hear it from his lips.

Ezio's hands were touching my face, and my eyes slowly focused upon him. His lips were moving, but I heard no sound. My head was suddenly swimming with warmth and fuzzy images, like I was trying to remember something. I watched my eyesight dim, let my face fall forward to be pressed into Ezio's clothes.

"I'm so sorry," I heard myself whisper, but I felt like it wasn't for Ezio. Not for Lucio. It was for...for...who?

My mind slipped slowly, the sound of Lucio's voice whispering 'he lied' over and over again until I lost consciousness.

* * *

**There you go.  
****Cryptic messages from a boy from Florence. Is it obvious what my plot is now? It may be because I know what I'm doing that it seems obvious, but maybe not.**

**Please review!**  
**(**And once again, if you really want to go into detail why I've decided to put this story on hold for a while, please _message_ me.** )**

**Thanks! :3**


	26. Beside the Uncertainty

**-Well, the whole holding out on this story didn't last too long...I figured out that this story is what I do with most of my time. But the [short] break was fun. :3 Thanks for being so understanding about my break and stuff you guys. Seriously. Even though I didn't really take a long break this time, there probably will be other times where I will take a month or so to take a break. :3 I'm happy, as I'm sure we all are, that this time wasn't one of those times, right? :3**

**Thanks for waiting and also for the reviews!:  
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* * *

_And the tears come streaming down your face  
when you lose something you can't replace.  
When you love someone but it goes to waste,  
could it be worse?...  
And high up above or down below,  
when you're too in love to let it go.  
But if you never try, you'll never know  
just what you're worth.  
Lights will guide you home,  
and ignite your bones.  
And I will try to fix you._

_-_**Coldplay**,_ 'Fix you'_

* * *

**Chapter 25: Beside the Uncertainty**

When my eyes managed to flutter open, they were greeted only by darkness, softly ebbed away by the moonlight pouring through the window. Taking a deep breath, I slowly blinked a few times, urging myself to recall just what had happened. The only thing I could seem to remember was a white garbed man, out in the desert, a shadow that fell from the bird in the sky circling around his form wearily. And in his hand...there was a...

Suddenly, I remembered Lucio, and a moment later, I sat up in the bed, quickly enough to cause an acute pain to shoot up my spine and into my head. The silky covers and sheets bundled around my waist as I shifted about, one of my hands reaching up to press against my forehead as I tried to quell the pain that pounded there. The room that I was in certainly wasn't one I knew to be attached to, but it seemed familiar –like something lost long ago in earlier memories. It seemed that there was a thin layer of dust covering everything in the room. No one had touched their surfaces in years. Despite all this, the wooden amours that the dust had collected on, the desk in the corner with the broken mirror—all of them seemed to be of great elegance and rich origins, only dashed away with age. I wondered where exactly I was.

Before I was able to climb out of the bed on my own, the door at one side of the room was pushed open. In the small light I had, I was able to identify the man in the doorway as Ezio. In one hand he held a candle and in his other was a dripping cloth that was scrunched in his grip. He was not wearing his robes, just the undershirt and his pants and I noticed that his boots were thrown aside at the door.

His eyes, at first, grew wide in surprise as he saw my erect form, but then they melted into a relieved smile. "It is good to see you awake. I was almost certain that they had poisoned you; it's too late in the night to go find a doctor for help."

I pressed my hand against my head once again. "Ugh, my head really hurts though." I paused. "How long was I out for?"

Ezio placed the candle on one of the dusty tables at the sides of the bed and sat next to me, holding the wet cloth up to my cheeks which were flushed in a way I hadn't noticed. "Long enough for me to get you away from the Carlieas' place to here."

"And where is 'here', exactly?"

Ezio half-smiled. "Don't you recognize it?" I followed his eyes that swept across the room, and I desperately groped my mind for any recognition. "Narina, we're back home."

Wait, this wasn't the Villa. What the hell was he talking about?  
"Either I'm really out of it, or this really isn't a room in the Villa."

Ezio smiled, but there was no touch of happiness in it. "Narina, we're still in _Firenze_."

It took me a moment to understand what he was saying, but even then, I felt confusion wash over my face. Home and Florence were two words that didn't go together. Well, not anymore at least.

The pieces finally fell in place and the answer clicked loudly in my mind. "Wait, we're in _Firenze_? As in...we're in the...our...your old house?"

He looked away from me, out the window. "Yeah. Home sweet home, right?"

I once again looked around the room, this time in wonderment. "Wow." Now I realized that this was indeed Ezio's old room in the Auditore house. Looking down, I saw that the very shirt I was wearing was one that had been sitting in the trunk at the end of the bed. Only now it was empty, the clothes left behind by our fleeing hands thrown all over the floor. The place looked like it had been ransacked. "What the hell happened to this place?"

"Changed along with the years." Ezio pressed the cool cloth to my neck. "Just as we have, only we were lucky enough to have someone else care for us to make sure we didn't crumble so easily."

The cloth was pressed to my collar bone. "I'm surprised that it's so...so lifeless now. It only seems like yesterday that we..." I faded off as Ezio hooked his finger around my collar to expose more of my skin for the cloth to press against. My brow furrowed. "God, has it really been that long?"

"I'm afraid so." Ezio removed the cloth, placing it on the side table near the candle before he leaned back towards me, laying his cheek against mine. "I'm just happy that we were able to get out of it together."

"We were lucky," I murmured, allowing my hand to reach up to touch his other cheek. "It seems that we're running out of this luck, though."

"Things aren't so horrible. It could be much worse."

There was a momentary silence as Ezio shifted around so he was sitting under the covers with me, wrapping an arm about my waist, pulling me back down to lie down on him. "Are we getting comfortable? Does this mean we're not leaving?"

Ezio hummed deep in his throat. "No. The guards line the city streets looking for us; that's the reason we're here and not at Paola's."

"Would they look in Paola's place?"

"Possibly, yes." Ezio sighed deeply, pulling me tighter against him. "I'm just glad you woke up. I didn't know what I was going to do if they had done something to you." He paused, suddenly growing taut. "They didn't _do_ anything to you, right?"

I shook my head, telling him no while simultaneously snuggling into his warm neck. "No. And if they did, I don't remember. I was only awake long enough to hear a story from Lucio."

Relaxing only slightly, his fingers started to trace a small pattern on my stomach. "A story? You were kidnapped to hear some bed-time stories?"

"I guess." My lips pushed into a frown. "The story he told me didn't make much sense, and since you were so quick to kill him, I never got to hear the ending."

"Oh, gee, so sorry."

Snorting, I pressed my lips against his neck, tasting his skin. "It was an...interesting story."

"What was it about? Fluffy bunnies and other things girls like?"

"No; if that was true, _you_ would have been in the story."

"True, true."

I giggled softly before holding myself closer to Ezio. "It was actually a story about the pieces of Eden."

"Oh?" He suddenly sounded interested. "Anything important?"

A yawn pushed through me. "He was just saying that it's all a lie or something."  
"Trying to poison your mind then?"

I paused to think about it. "Yeah, I guess so. He told me it was better to know the lie than to think the truth." At that point, I fitted myself against Ezio's side, pushing myself down so that I could rest my head against his chest.

"Don't let him fool you," Ezio said, his voice vibrating in his chest. "You know the truth already."

My cheek rubbed against the cloth of Ezio's shirt as I nodded slowly as if I was agreeing; but, in all truths, I had to second guess myself. I wasn't sure what to believe. A part of me wanted to believe Ezio and his views on the whole thing, but another part of me wanted to know what truth Lucio spoke of. I wasn't even sure what part of the so-called truth was considered the lie. Although it was odd, I was suddenly frustrated, like I would never get the chance to hear of such things for years to come. Huffing, I put an arm around Ezio's stomach, shifting around until I felt comfortable again.

"When will we be able to leave _Firenze_?"

"Hopefully the guards will call off the search by tomorrow noon. Then we'll be able to get back to Monteriggioni before it gets too late."

"Hmm...hopefully." I sighed. "Being here reminds me of when everything was easier, and I'm getting kind of envious."

Ezio's chest heaved under me, then deflated all the same. "_Si_. Me too."

Sometime before I was able to fall asleep, Ezio shifted under me, causing my head to lift up to look at him in the darkness. He stared at me quietly for a moment before he gently gave me a small kiss, humming his goodnight into my lips.

* * *

With my experience the past month, I wasn't all too bummed out to wake up alone the next morning. It had been something I had gotten used to. Stretching thoroughly, I climbed out of bed and placed my feet on the cold, dirty floor. It made me sad to think that the house had always seemed so warm back then, and now...now it was so cold it almost burned my feet.

I surprised myself when I was able to recall the layout of the house walking through the Villa. It only took me a few minutes to find the staircase. From the top of the stairs, I stared down at the bottom with sadness, remembering the image of Giovanni and Maria embracing each other so lovingly. Before I knew it, I was walking down the stairs just as I had years before, only this time, instead of trying to sneak past them, I approached them slowly. The image in my mind seemed to be what I was really seeing for a moment, until I reached out to touch Giovanni's arm and he disappeared, leaving me to stare at the faded front door.

I took a moment to stand there, feeling the familiar pang of wanting to go back to those days so I could change everything. It had been a while since I thought of it like that, but now that I was here, I felt like I had to.

In that moment, Ezio came out of one of the doors to my left, probably from his Father's office. I heard his boots on the wooden floors before I saw him, the sound pulling my gaze towards the echoes. The Assassin Robes were once again draped on him, only they were loosely tied like he hadn't even bothered to put them on fully yet. He paused, looking me over. I'm guessing he saw the sadness in my eyes, or something to a similar degree, because he slowly approached me, his gloved hand touching my cheek when they could reach. The leather rubbed nicely against my skin, and I leaned into his touch slowly, staring up into his golden, eagle-like eyes, shadowed by his hood that hung over his face. Without any words, his other hand reached out and took me at my waist, pulling me towards him; the hand at my face kept it tilted towards his as I drew closer and he bent his head to place his lips against my eyelid, making my eyes close.

The small gesture told me to stay strong, to keep the sadness back, as if his lips were silencing my tears.

After a moment of standing close to each other, I pulled my head back and looked up at him. "Are we able to leave yet?"

A more serious aura formed around Ezio, his hand at my face falling down to my waist. "No. The search hasn't been called off yet. The guards still roam the streets."

I nodded. "Then what are we going to do?"

"I think the search is slack enough that we will be able to travel to Paola's in about an hour or so." Ezio looked about the room. "For now, we could look around the house and see if we can salvage anything."

* * *

The things that had been left behind in the house all those years before had either been taken, broken, rotted away with mold, or forever lost in a mix of cobwebs and dust. Ezio and I dirtied our fingers every so often, brushing aside the dirt and dust on wooden surfaces throughout the house, collecting pieces of shattered vases and scraps of torn paintings from the walls. The silk curtains that I had run my fingertips over with Federico so long ago were now ripped from the windows and thrown on the ground in distaste.

There were two rooms that we spent a little extra time in –Petruccio's room and the small family room that had a broken chess board in the corner. Federico's room would have been another stop, but the door had been jammed and there wasn't a way into the room, despite Ezio's heaves against it. In the chess room, the little figurines that were once upon the board were scattered across the floor, most of them broken and smashed.

"Why did they have to do this to such a beautiful house?" I said with anger, resting my hands upon the scratched playing surface.

Ezio shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure. To make sure we never came back, maybe."

I frowned. "How ruthless. Totally inconsiderate!"

A silence filtered around us as we stared at the scattered pieces on the ground. To me, those broken pieces were like our memories, thrown against the floor, shattered in the inconsideration of another, and it actually hurt a little. Those pieces were held by Federico and they were supposed to be a symbol of our fun days. I had lost the necklace, and now all of this.

There was a moment where I felt almost lost, and I had to quickly look up at Ezio just to make sure he was still there. He must have noticed my sudden movement for he looked at me with a questioning gaze. I wasn't exactly sure why I was suddenly so emotional about it, but I followed through on my sudden urge and walked up to Ezio, slowly wrapping my arms around him, pressing my face into his chest.

Even if I didn't understand myself at the moment, Ezio seemed to comprehend what I was going through. He hugged me back tightly, laying his head against mine as he cooed soft words to me. I didn't really keep track of what he was saying to me; just the sound of his voice was enough comfort. He could have been speaking a different language, and I wouldn't have noticed or cared.

Then the tears started to flow and soon the sobs came. It had been years since the Auditore men had died, yes, but I had never really gotten much of a good crying session. Well, I _did_, but I was by myself when I did that. It was better, for me, to have someone with me, to know that someone was aware that I was upset. Was that selfish? I didn't care. All I knew was that I liked the way Ezio's hands stroked my back, his fingertips lightly pressing into my skin.

I said I wasn't listening to his actual words, but I remember him saying at one point, "I miss them too."

* * *

When the tears stopped, my eyes were dried and my nose wiped, Ezio took a hold of my hand, entwining his fingers with mine.

"We could head out to Paola's now, if you want." Stiffly, I nodded, rubbing at my eyes with my free hand.

The front door was out of the question—the guards probably had their sights set on it anyways. With a little searching, Ezio was able to get both of us out a window that led to the back alleyway. From there, we walked around for a bit until we were able to blend into the crowds on the way to the Bordella. The courtesans were in the back garden, loudly talking amongst each other as we walked into the vine covered area. Most of them paid us no mind, but there were a few who did double takes at the sight of us, their eyes widened in what seemed like surprise. Those that looked at us were actually a few I recognized from years before, and I was almost flattered that they too recognized me. Almost.

Without any acknowledgment of the girls, Ezio led us inside the Bordella's back door, not even bothering to knock. Inside, nothing had changed. Everything was still the same luscious red color with same dimly lit candles lining the room. I stood next to Ezio in the middle of the room, gazing around at the few men waiting for their 'prizes'.

"_Ser_ Ezio? Narina!" We turned to look up stairs as Anetta ran down them, her arms opened wide as she threw a hug on Ezio and then one on me. "You two are okay! Haven't seen you in years! Oh my, you've grown so old!"

So had Anetta apparently. Although not by much, she still looked like she had gone through more years that it had actually been. As she and Ezio talked about what had happened over the years, how Claudia and Maria were, I realized that if Anetta hadn't seen Ezio, then that meant Ezio hadn't stopped by here to visit during the past month. A pang of guilt struck me as I remembered thinking that Ezio had spent his nights here with the whores.

"If you two are looking for Paola, I'm afraid that she's not in at the moment. If you would be willing to wait until night-fall, though, she'll be back tomorrow."

Where could have Paola gone? "Thank you, but I'm afraid we must decline. We need to return back to Monteriggioni and speak with my Uncle. Just tell her we stopped by."

Anetta nodded, but ended up convincing us to stay long enough to have some tea and eat something, which was a good thing considering we hadn't anything to eat that morning and Ezio had forgotten to bring money in his haste to come save me. When I asked about Ugo stopping by, Anetta nodded and told me that the young thief reminded her of Ezio in a small way. Then she gave us a small smile with a sly look in her eye and I internally groaned. I should have known Ugo would spread word about 'the ravishing of the innocent virgin and the man-whore assassin'. Taking our leave as soon as the small snack was done, Anetta wished us luck and returned to whatever duties she had about the Bordella.

Ezio had been right—the guard watch called off the search around noon and we were able to leave the city without any problem. Ezio had his horse at the stable, and it reminded me that my horse had been killed. So much death for something that could possibly be a lie.

After helping me up onto the horse, Ezio climbed up behind me, allowing me to shift around in his spread legs before we set out in the direction on Monteriggioni.

* * *

Summer had hit Italy hard that year, and the high, hot sun sure didn't make the close horse ride that much better. Within only minutes of riding I was covered in sweat, my back pressing up against Ezio's sweaty chest making it all the more unbearable. The horse couldn't run as fast for as long in the heat, the beast's sides billowing underneath us.

As for conversation during the ride, it was very limited. There was probably ten comments about the hot weather and only one legitimate conversation about how Ezio forgot to go talk to Lorenzo about the whole Templar ordeal as of late while we were in town. That would have to be another trip to Florence some day. As for the rest of the ride, it was silent, the only sound being horse's hooves delving into the ground and its labored breaths.

We allowed the horse to walk the last miles to Monteriggioni, the slow sway rhythm almost lulling me to sleep in the heat and safety of Ezio's hold around. By the time the town on the slow inclined hill came into view, the sun had slowly dipped to the southern mountains, bathing the lands once more before it disappeared.

Even if the ride had been filled with only complaints, I once again commented on how sweaty I was when I jumped off of the horse.

"It's like my clothes are sticking to me and I can't get them to peel off," I whined, taking a hold of the back of my shirt to pull it away from my back.

"I, on the other hand, quite enjoyed having all that heat between my legs." Ezio smirked when I threw him a glare and shrugged before he started to unbuckle the saddle on his horse, patting the beast's side approvingly. I didn't want to wait for him to strip the horse completely—I was sore and hungry. Without a word, I walked through the town gate, pushing throw the crowds to get to the Villa. The town actually seemed a little awry, and I realized it was because of the raid of Lucio's men the night before. The shops had obviously been riled, some of their wares spread all about inside, but otherwise, everything was fine. I smiled, glad that no one had been seriously hurt this time aside from the hit to my head when I was thrown from my horse against the rocks, but then again, that wasn't very serious.

Mario clapped me on my back when I walked into his office in the Villa. "Good to see you well, Narina. You should have seen my nephew when they told him that Lucio had been successful at taking you hostage. I could almost see him breath fire as he loaded up for _Firenze_."

"Yes, he _is_ charming like that." I smiled at Mario sweetly as he raised his brow, calling me out on my sarcasm.

"Well, it's good to have you home in any case. Where the hell do the Templars get the nerve to attack the Assassin home?"

"In his defense, Lucio wasn't a Templar."

Mario's brow furrowed. "You're defending him? After he tried to take our house and held you as hostage?"

I raised my hands. "I didn't say it was right. I was just saying he wasn't a Templar."

A frown carved it's way on Mario's face, a disapproving glare in his eyes. "Well, it doesn't matter. He aided them, so he's just as bad as they are."

"Of course," I agreed, letting my hands drop. It was strange—even though Lucio definitely had that air about him that didn't let me trust him, I still felt as though he could have helped us out a little bit. Well, helped _me_ anyways. I had a notion that he knew who I really was, and that was something that I wanted to know. If there could have been a way, I would have wanted him alive.

* * *

Ezio came in just in time for dinner which consisted of a nicely cooked ham with spiced wine, some baked potatoes and a large bowl of fruits. One good thing about being able to manage the town money for a month was that I got to decide how much went into groceries. I allowed more money resulting in grander meals.

Everyone voiced their happiness at seeing me okay, glad that I had been able to make it home, before they went off on their own conversations, talking about one of Claudia's friend's birthdays that was coming up soon. Claudia wanted to throw her a party at the Villa.

"I was hoping for sometime next week," Claudia remarked. "She deserves to have a wonderful day."

"Hey Ezio," I turned towards him. "Isn't next week when we're going back to Florence?" I gave him wide eyes when he looked at me all confused. I didn't like the little parties Claudia always seemed to be throwing—something about people celebrating when there was so much wrong in the world set me a little off-kilter.

"Oh, Brother, you must stay here!" Claudia begged, reaching over to her brother at her side. "Ciosa has been wanting to meet you for so long. We all speak highly of you, but you're never here to meet her."

I frowned. "Ezio isn't exactly as high and mighty as you all say he is—we wouldn't want to disappoint her and—."

"Actually, Narina, I was thinking that it's time we spent some time home again. I haven't been able to watch my little sister grow up, and I'd like to spend time with them." I realized he was annoyed with me when I looked at him, his eyes narrowed. Apparently, like me, Ezio didn't being told what to do.

Mumbling unkind words under my breath, I sat back in my chair and pushed a berry from my plate into my mouth as Claudia cheered and thanked her brother. I made sure I finished my dinner before everyone else, excusing myself from the table as I made my way out of the dining room and into the back courtyard.

The night was darker than normal, a few, wispy clouds blocking out the moonlight that radiated off of the crescent in the sky. I let the cool night air brush aside my current anger and annoyance with Ezio, knowing that it was all too natural for me to get mad at him over something so stupid. I'll admit, I was a little jealous of Ezio meeting a younger girl who had been wanting to get to know him. Ezio was a drooling idiot when it came to new prey, and that...that made me mad. It was like my love didn't even mean anything!

_Calm down, Narina_, I told myself mentally. _It's just a party. Not a big deal_.

To blow off some steam since the night air wasn't quite doing it, I climbed up onto the Villa, determined to find our Leap of Faith spot to get the adrenaline pumping to the extreme so I could relax a bit afterward. As it turned out, I had to do the jump more than four times before I felt better. I went inside, helped out Mario a bit with cleaning some of the weapons that were in stock for the mercenaries, went shopping for medical supplies before the Doctor closed down for the night, then went to Maria's room to talk with her about the Auditore house back in Florence, giving her what little we were able to find of Giovanni's old stuff through the house: a few journals, some documents and a small ring that had been forgotten in the office desk, the Auditore crest on it. She didn't say anything, but gave me a large, warm hug for thanks. It was nice to see that I wasn't the only one who still dreamed to go back in time, that I wasn't the only one who sometimes wished things to be different.

After I dressed in a loose shirt with pants rolled up to my knees, ready to go to bed, Claudia knocked and came into my room.

"I'm sorry to bother you like this," she said, putting herself at the edge of my bed. I just stared at her quietly, shrugging my shoulders to show her that I didn't really mind. "It's just that, well, you seemed kind of upset at the thought of this Ciosa meeting my Brother thing. I know you two are together and everything, but I highly doubt Ciosa will take any interest in my brother due to the fact that she's my best friend, and—."

"Claudia," I cut her off, "it's fine. Really. I don't own Ezio anyways. I just like to be a bitch about it."

"Well, if you insist. I just don't want you to be mad."

"I'm not and I won't be. I promise."

She tried to apologize again, but I shooed her out, telling her again that it was fine and that she should get to bed. I loved Claudia, but damn, that girl didn't know when to shut up. Right when I was about to climb back into bed, someone else knocked on my door. Getting irritated again, I just called out their permission to enter.

It was Ezio this time, without his robes, only in his common shirt and pants, his bare feet spread out on the floor. He didn't say anything, closing the door behind him as he walked in. I watched him silently as he went to my window and leaned against the sill, staring at me with his piercing eyes all the while.

"Yes?" I asked. "What do you want?" He simply continued to stare at me, his lips in a straight line. I sighed. "Are you mad at me or something?"

"A little annoyed, yes."

I frowned. "Why?"

"You can't expect me to turn my back on my sister, Narina. That's simply rude, and she's the only sibling I have left."

"I wasn't saying turning your back on Claudia, I was just suggesting turning your back on this other...Cisio or whoever chick."

Ezio frowned this time and pushed off of the sill, approaching the bed. "If Claudia wants me to meet her, I'll meet her. It's the least I can do for her after all her hard work."

"Well, I don't like parties." I fell back against my pillows, folding my arms over my head so my eyes were covered. "Can _I_ just go to _Firenze_, or something? Perhaps stay locked up in my room?" I let my arms fall aside so I could see his reaction.

Ezio shook his head in a disapproving manor. "No. This will be a good experience for you, Narina, to get out and mingle with people outside of our cause. A little normalcy isn't something to shy away from."

"Ooh, right!" I said with fake enthusiasm. "Because watching girls crawl all over you _is_ normal! Ha!" I rolled over on my side, turning away from him while tucking my knees up to my chest.

"This isn't something to get jealous over," Ezio replied. "Besides, Claudia told me it would be nothing like that."

"Since when did Claudia's word become the truth?"

"Don't be like this, Narina. You know you're over-reacting right now."

When I didn't reply to that, I heard him sigh, his foot-fall thudding against the floor as he walked around the bed to face me. I warily watched him approach, scrutinizing his hand when he reached down to me. "Come on," he beckoned softly. "You'll do no good sitting in your room, hating the world."

I glared at him. "And what? I'll do good in your bed with you?"

The smirk that emerged was one that I was expecting. "Possibly. Why don't we test it out?"

Rolling my eyes, I kept my knees to my chest. "Is that all you see me as? A sex toy your convenience?"

All slyness melted from his eyes. "Narina, you know I don't. I haven't had sex since the last time I was with you."

"How do I know you're not lying?" I spat.

"Do you really want to know how I can convince you otherwise?" The hunger that I had seen in his eyes that night a month ago returned with a fiery vengeance, and I seriously thought he was about to pounce on me judging by the way he suddenly seemed hunched.

Adverting my gaze away from him, I considered how much I really did love this guy, even if we was a jackass sometimes. Finally I sighed and sat up, putting my legs over the edge. "Fine, I'll go to sleep with you." I held up a finger before he could start to celebrate. "But let's get this straight; I'm keeping my legs shut. We are not going to have sex tonight."

* * *

I woke up the next morning lying on top of Ezio, both of us naked, my skin covered in love marks and my legs sore.

I had forgotten how... _persuasive_ Ezio could be.

* * *

_**Tee Hee**_

**Ezio **_**is**_** persuasive! :3**  
**Of course, I don't think I'd need any persuading—I'd just dive right in...or let him dive right in...**

**ANYWAYS!  
I just wanted to say thanks again for all of you who really supported me in my decision to take a break, even though I failed epicly at that. ****THANKS FOR BEING THE MOST AWESOMEST READERS EVER!**** :D**

**Review please! :3**

(_A big thank you for my Wonderful Beta, Kittenbell! :3)_


	27. The Runaway

**-Do you know how bad writers block sucks? Well, IT DOES for those who don't know.  
-I had a sad thought while I was sitting in American History, avoiding writing my paper...but my story is probably half way over now. D: It really does make me feel a little sad, knowing how rewarding this story has been for me.  
-My new Favorite song ever: The Dirty Bit by The Black Eyed Peas. I can jam out to that song! :3  
-This idea for this chapter...it was seriously a leap of faith. It just came to me randomly, and I hope it really works out. Please don't get mad at me for...going off randomly with out warning.  
-This is a wonderful, early Christmas present to all of you out there! :3 (Unless I can get another chapter out by next Saturday, but that probably won't happen.) HAPPY HOLIDAYS! ^^ (Wait...this is sort of a sad chapter...not a really good gift. :()**

**Thanks for the **all **reviews!:  
BlaverineSlayer1  
SporkedGamer  
stifledcreativity  
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LovelyDayDreamer1983  
jazz-sparks  
Anime Fan Team  
napanapa  
brittany  
Super-Saiyan-3-Vegeta (**for...however many you gave me. :3**)  
Keely Matthews  
Revenant Raven  
inuyashafan18  
pinkrollingstone  
Aarie  
PurplePluto  
Ourania-Annais  
lightan117  
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fingers-falling-upwards  
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IpiRayan**

* * *

_Dear Agony,  
just let go of me,  
suffer slowly.  
Is this the way it's got to be?  
Don't bury me,  
faceless enemy.  
I'm so sorry.  
Is this the way it's got to be,  
Dear Agony?_

_-_**'Dear Agony'**, Breaking Benjamin

* * *

**Chapter 26: The Runaway**

If I had known just how quickly things were going to change, I think I would have been a little nicer to Ezio during the week of preparation for the party. When I look back on it now, I realize how ungrateful I was of everything and everyone around me. And I would soon find out, like the saying goes, you never know what you have until it's gone. Either that, or having all that you cared about suddenly just beyond your reach.

To put things simply, Ezio and I weren't...on the same level all week. As a matter of fact, I don't think I had ever fought with him in such a literal way before. The bulk of the argument was stupid too; something about how he had been controlling my every decision from the first moment I had met him. That, of course, resulted in one of Ezio's famous rants about how I was the one who had stayed by his side all these years when he had tried to let me go off on my own; but then I responded to that by saying that he was trying to make that decision for me too.

So, since we were enduring a stupid brawl, Ezio made sure I was one-hundred-percent completely uncomfortable about the whole party situation.

Claudia was the one to tell me, but I'm pretty sure Ezio was the one who suggested it.

I was out in the back courtyard, intent on taking a walk around the Villa when the Auditore girl approached me. "Hey Narina?"

"Hm?"

"I just wanted to make sure it's clear that this party is going to be a formal occasion."

"Oh, oka—wait, what!" I stared at Claudia in bewilderment for a moment. "Wait, does that mean I have to wear a big dress or something?"

A nod. "Well, yes."

"That's not fair!" I growled lightly under my breath, knowing that Ezio had a part in this.

"What isn't?" Claudia wondered.

Glancing back up at her, a made up a quick alibi. "Ah, well, it's just that, I don't have a dress so, it's not fair that I'd be the only girl there who doesn't have a dress. I guess I can't go."

"Hm. I guess you're right." She turned and walked back into the Villa, touching her fingers to her face as she thought.

I smirked, feeling somewhat accomplished that I had tricked the girl, then continued on my walk.

* * *

But, alas, my effort was nothing but a small poke in the strong will of the Auditores.

I was awakened the next morning by both Ezio and Claudia hovering over me, grins plastered on their faces, and a bright red dress with golden stitching and grand embroidery along the collar line with sleeve cuffs in their grasps. A frilled ruffle swung down in the skirts that gave the dress great mass. But, as beautiful as it was, I despised it. It was what was making me attend the stupid party now.

Since I had been so upset over the whole dress deal, Claudia didn't make me help her set up the place before the guests arrived. She had, apparently, invited the whole town of Monteriggioni, which didn't seem much at the time, but good God… Walking out of Maria's room the night of the party and looking over into the front hall, seeing all of these people crammed into one room, talking so loudly that it all just blended into a low buzz...it made me realize just how much I was going to hate it.

Beforehand, though, I had been in Maria's room because she was helping me put on a dress; something I hadn't done in...well, a very long time. Once all the ties had been knotted and the ribbons about the sleeves decoratively tied, I felt as though I couldn't breath. The bodice was much too tight against my rib cage, and my breast were seriously almost pouring out over the edge of the dress. I frowned deeply, suspecting that Ezio had a hand in that fact, too. As soon as Maria allowed me to walk after she was done, my legs immediately tangled themselves in the folds of the skirt and I very nearly toppled over. Catching me before I went down, Maria only laughed at me.

Completely unhappy with the whole deal, I gruffly ripped away from her helping hand and stormed out of the room, intent on finding a hole, crawling in it and ignoring everyone for the rest of the night.

As I walked down into the crowded front hall, elbowing my way through the crowd, I ran into Claudia.  
"Ah, Narina! Look at you! I've never seen you look so beautiful before!"

I couldn't help but glare at her. "Yeah, gee, thanks."

With a bright smile, she gestured to the girl at her side. "Narina, this is Ciosa. She's just turning twenty today!"

The girl wasn't much taller than I was, had a round face with big, brown eyes and curly honey-brown hair that hung around her shoulders. She smiled softly at me and held out a delicate hand.

"A pleasure, Narina. I've heard much about you."

Deciding to be pleasant to such a pretty face, I smiled back and took a hold of her out-stretched hand for a moment. "Indeed. It is a pleasure, Ciosa. I hope you have a wonderful party."

"Thank you." The young girl turned to Claudia. "Let us go look for you brother now; he's the only one I haven't met yet."

"Of course." With another forced smile, I watched them push through the chatting people. I tried to convince myself that I didn't care whether or not Ezio and Ciosa met and had a good time, but I knew I really did have a totally opposite opinion on it. Huffing, I made my way to the wall near my bedroom door and leaned back against it, just hoping the night would pass quickly, wishing I could pull on some pants under the big skirt. My legs were starting to get cold, and even curling my toes up in the frilly slipper like shoes I had didn't help. Folding my arms and pouting, I waited quietly.

Strangely enough, I found Ezio before the girls did, and I wasn't even looking for him. He appeared out of no where, naturally, eying me up and down with a silly grin on his lips. "Wow. I guess you clean up nice."

Resisting the urge to spit at him, I only frowned. "Yes. One of the many wonders of the world is now revealed."

"I'd love to sit here and argue with you further, Narina, but I'm looking for Claudia."

I used my thumb to point in the general direction Claudia and Ciosa had gone. "They just went looking for you. How special for you." I paused. "That Ciosa girl seemed really interested in sucking your di—I mean, meeting you."

That didn't even phase Ezio. "Oh, I see. I'll get right on that. I've been needing some...casual 'meetings', no?" With a smirk, Ezio brushed past me and continued into the other room where Claudia and the other girl disappeared. Frowning deeply to myself, realizing that I had just let him win again, I pushed up off of the wall and tried to make my way towards the kitchen area, becoming suddenly peckish.

I was stopped by the boy who ran the horse stalls at the entrance of the town. He wasn't dressed as extravagantly as the others in the town, but it was nicer than the attire I usually saw him in. "Narina, miss?" He started, taking a moment to pause and assess my fancy gown.

"What is it?" I asked briefly, the annoyance clear in my voice.

"You...look nice."  
Rolling my eyes, I folded my arms. "What did you need again?"

"Ah, yes! Ser Mario wanted to see you in his office real quick."

"Alright. Anything to get me out of here." Pushing past the boy and into the back courtyard, where some of the guests had spread out to, chattering loudly, I then walked into Mario's office through the side door, making sure it was closed tightly behind me.

Mario, as always, was sitting at his desk looking over some papers. He didn't look up at me for a moment, focusing on writing something down on the paper before he pushed himself up from the desk, grinning at me suddenly.

"Beautiful, as always, Narina. Did Ezio pick that dress for you?"

Instinctively, I folded my arms over my chest. "Is it really that obvious?"

Chuckling, Mario walked around the desk and put an arm around me, turning both of us around to face the codex wall. "See how bare this wall is, Narina?"  
I glanced up the wall. "Yep. It's pretty much empty."

"I was thinking, considering that all you and Ezio do these days is argue, you might as well be given something to do, something more productive than picking a fight with my nephew."

Sighing and folding my arms, I nodded. "Fine. I understand."

"Could you and Ezio look around _Italia_ for the codex pages if you've nothing better to do? It would certainly be a big help, my dear. And I know I've harassed both of you to get after them already, but we need them more than ever now. Do you understand?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Good." Mario gestured out the door. "Now go back and enjoy the party. You look very beautiful."

Finally, I took the compliment and thanked the man for it. Although I knew I wouldn't enjoy the festivities very much, I went back out into the courtyard and main hall anyways.

Finding myself suddenly curious about the Ciosa girl, I started to poke around for some information on her, walking in on peoples' conversations to ask them questions. Questions like: 'how long has she lived here?', 'is she a nice person?', 'how long have you known her?'. It turns out that she had lived in Monteriggioni her entire life, and I felt suddenly bad for the girl, for Monteriggioni wasn't exactly much, and it was so small that it had to be a pain to stay here all the time. After pretty much everyone in the room was annoyed with me for asking so many questions, I wandered around the house again, telling myself once I came upon food, I was going to stuff my face.

I realized that walking in a dress was a task that was just beyond me. I don't know how it happened, but my legs just seemed to get themselves wrapped up in the material and then I'd be tugged down to the ground. It was embarrassing just how many times I tripped over myself and then how many people laughed at me as I stood and brushed myself off. It had only been about an hour and I already wanted the party to be over. Instead of going to hole myself up in my room for the rest of the night, I realized that I needed to go talk to Ezio about the whole finding the Codex pages. Actually, that was just an excuse I gave myself to go find him—I'm pretty sure Mario talked about it with Ezio before he called me to his office. Although, I wasn't sure why I really wanted to seek him out; perhaps to argue with him or maybe just to see him.

I walked to the top of the staircase in the main hall and looked over the room. Claudia was standing near the architect room, leaning against the wall, smiling softly at a guy that was talking to her. I took a mental note that I should tease her about that later, but there was no sign of Ezio in the room. Miffed, I turned and walked down the door that led to the small outside balcony over the back doors of the villa. Leaning against the rail, letting the cold night air twist into my loose hair, I scanned the area thoroughly, but there was no Ezio there either. Puzzled, I sat out in the cool air for a moment, trying to think of where he could be. Just like the moonlight that dimmed over my face, I suddenly realized where Ezio could be, the thought causing an odd pull in my tummy.

Yet, there was no hesitation in the way I walked back inside, immediately turning to my left and heading towards the stairs that led up into the highest room of the Villa. I made sure my footsteps were dainty so they couldn't echo off of the walls, suddenly glad that all the chatter throughout the house had me mostly covered. When I approached the ladder I had climbed up many times before, I held my breath to listen for any sign that Ezio was up in there. For about a good minute, I didn't hear a thing, and I slowly raised myself up the ladder, cringing whenever the ladder underneath me creaked. Finally, I was able to peek over the edge, slowly moving until I was able to see the entire room lit up by a lone candle on the desk.

A mix of emotions washed through me as I observed the empty room. I was glad that he wasn't here with the girl, but I was sort of sad that I still had no clue as to where he was. Pushing myself up into the room, I brushed off the large skirt about my hips and began to poke around Ezio's room, looking at his sketches upon his desk that he had obviously doodled out of boredom. Some of them didn't even make sense, and some of them were even scratched out.

After a while of staring at his papers, I started to feel a little nosy, so I made my way back out of the room, still intent on finding Ezio. With another scan of the house, I didn't see Ezio anywhere, so I went and found Claudia by the architect room. She was still with the boy, and she almost seemed mad when I walked up.

"Hey Claudia?"

A small glare narrowed her eyes as she straightened. "What?"

"Do you know where Ezio is?"

I saw a strange emotion flit through her eyes, but she quickly covered it up. "Um. No."

"Claudia," I dragged out threateningly. "Where is he?"

Fed up with me, apparently, Claudia waved her hand at me. "Just—look around the house or something."

"I already have," I spat. It looked like I would have to fight fire with fire. I let my gaze land on her little friend, a sly smile appearing on my lips. "Oh, hello. You must be one of Claudia's friends."

His dark eyes widened slightly before a smile of his own appeared on his rounder, childish face. "Ah, yes. I am."

"I know she can be such a pain sometimes," I mused sweetly. "Why just the other day, I walked into the—."

"Narina, you know what, I actually remember seeing Ezio walk out front."

I turned to Claudia with a triumphant smile. "Oh, okay, I see. Thank you Claudia. I'll leave you be now. Bye you two. Have a fun night."

I didn't have to give another reason for Claudia to be mad at me since I had been a bitch most of the week before, but I was bored and I needed a spark for the night. I walked out of the room and took my leave out of the front door. Although I had no idea where to look, I wandered around the training ring for a bit, just taking my time and enjoying the cool night air.

After what seemed like a long while, I started to make my way back towards the Villa, deciding to make a trip to the back courtyard and through the door there so I could scope the area out. I made my way around the Villa, noticing that a good amount of the party had moved outside now, the couples that had paired up throughout the night starting to gaze up at the stars. Most of them paid me no mind, but there were those who would glance at me and stare like I was about to go on a rampage and attack them. Perhaps I did have that sense of duty about me, but I didn't think I was being _that_ grim about it.

Of course, that all changed in a matter of...oh, five seconds.

When I walked through the back courtyard, alongside the small bushes that lined the walls, my eyes caught sight of a figure that stood near the outer rim of the courtyard. It only took a mere moment for me to see what was happening and who it was. I had found Ezio, apparently, and that brought a very brief moment of relief, but that too was shattered when I saw who he was with.

I had walked up at just the right moment to watch Ezio smirk and bow his head down, his hood casting a dark shadow over Ciosa's face. The sight made my stomach drop, made me feel so uncomfortable, but I couldn't look away. I couldn't advert my gaze, couldn't walk away before it all crashed down. I only wish that I could have, for it would have saved me a lot of heartbreak.

Instead, I stood there like an idiot, staring at the two sharing a kiss with my favorite scar in the mix. Since it was dark outside, I couldn't quite make out any small details, but I still stared at them as though it was a marvel that I hadn't yet seen before. I think Ezio had ESP or something because he flinched and broke the kiss before he caught sight of me, his gaze tearing from his current prize to my rigid form.

The tension between our gazes was almost tangible, you could almost taste it in the air. Ciosa took immediate notice and whispered something to Ezio, standing on her tip-toes to push her lips to his ear as his golden eyes locked with mine. Then she scampered away without another look at me, her shame and embarrassment in her wake.

Then the showdown between Ezio and I began. Trying to seem casual, Ezio took a stride towards me, opening his mouth to say something, but I responded quickly by taking a step back. He froze at the sight of that and he realized that I was climbing to the point of getting very upset.

I tried to keep my voice level. "So, I see _you're_ having a good time."

He gave no words, not even a gesture. Ezio just stood there, staring at me carefully.

"Good to see that you haven't changed over the years," I said again, my voice starting to rise higher along with my anger.

Finally, he said "It's not what it looks like."

"No, it's _exactly_ what it looks like to me," I shot back, not caring about the other guests in the courtyard.

Ezio himself was getting a little peeved, judging by the way his brow started to furrow. "You don't know the situation, and it's something you wouldn't understand."

"Do you think I'm stupid!" I exclaimed loudly. "And what situation requires that you suck face with a girl only minutes after speaking with her?"

"What do you want me to say?" Ezio exclaimed, lifting his arms out to the sides. "Tell me what you want to hear, and I'll say it."

Gritting my teeth together, I felt like spitting in his face. "I want you to know what to say. I want you to know what I want to hear. I don't want to have to tell you how I feel, because I want you to know who I am!"

"That's not a fair request," Ezio shot back immediately. "You don't even know yourself; how am I to know? Do you think I'm a miracle worker?"

"You know that's not what I meant," I shouted. "You know what I mean!"

Exasperated, Ezio once again threw his arms into the air. "You know what I _do_ know, Narina? If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't know how to defend yourself, you wouldn't know how to fight, you wouldn't know how to live on your own...you'd probably be dead right now if it wasn't for me!" I opened my mouth to protest, but Ezio shoved his finger in my face, pointing at me threateningly. "And what do I get in return? A burden to clamor over my shoulder!" I could sense all the eyes of the other people in the courtyard upon us as Ezio advanced towards me, towering over me in a matter of seconds. "You accuse me of trying to control your life," he started in a low growl, "but have you looked at yourself?" His finger was pressed against his chest. "You're the one trying to control _me_, trying to control my decisions, trying to make me regret all that I've done! These past four years, it's always been 'I agree' or 'I disagree' or 'do it right' or 'you're doing it wrong'! Why do I have to do every little thing you want me to do?" He drew even closer, bending over slightly to push his face into mine. "I am _not_ your puppet, Narina, and since I am no puppet, there are _no_ strings attached."

I watched with a half-opened mouth as Ezio turned on his heel and walked away from me, his hands clenched at his sides and his strut rigid.

Anger over-powered me, but I didn't know what to say, so I yelled out "I hope you fucking burn in hell, Ezio!" He didn't even spare me another glance and just disappeared back into the Villa, slamming the door behind him.

I stood there, fuming for a moment, before I started to realize what had just been said. _No strings attached_. Then that meant that my love meant nothing to him. It didn't change a thing between me and the whores he had slept with over the years.

I wasn't sure who I was more upset with at the moment; Ezio or myself. But I wasn't about to ponder it with all the probing gazes upon me. With my own hands balled into fists, I made my way around the Villa in a brisk walk, feeling frustration and anger and disbelief all in one. All I wanted to do now was to get away from all of this for a moment and clear my head, try to figure out what I was going to do. Walking down the stairs and through the small, and mostly empty town, I left the city walls and approached the horse stables towards the young lad from earlier in the night.

He was surprised to see me and he jumped right off of his seat. "Miss Narina! What are you do–."

"I need a horse," I said quickly. "I'm going to go for a little ride around the area. My head's too built up right now." Without waiting for him, I went into the stables myself, picked the white horse and started to walk from the supply shelf with the blanket and bridle, intent on saddling up the horse myself.

"Ah, no, let me help you with that," the boy stammered, obviously feeling my taut aura, sensing that I was upset. Together, we buckled up the horse, patted it down and made sure it was ready to go. Too much in a haze to thank the kid, I pulled myself up onto the horse, not even caring the way my skirt rode up around almost my waist as I straddled the saddle. Clicking my tongue a few times, I led the horse from out of the stables and took off down the path that would lead in a circle around Monteriggioni.

* * *

I thought the cool night air would allow my brain to work and think straight, but the cooling effect wasn't enough. That's why I decided, as I rode along the path, that I was going to go visit the large pond that I had been thrown in before, to let the cold waters try to calm me. Veering my horse to the right, off the path and onto the fields, I rode by the dim light of the stars and moon to find the pond. It didn't take me too long to find it nestled in a small loll of the hill. Hopping off of my horse, I considered the fact that the ride and the night air had made my legs cold, but I still tugged off my slipper shoes and walked over to the edge of the pond. Grabbing my skirt roughly and finding a way to bunch it about myself as I sat down, I let my feet fall over the edge of the pond and dangle into the water. It was freezing at first, but after a while, I got used to it.

For a moment, I assessed my darkened reflection that shimmered off the top of the water, the girl in the water staring back at me with eyes filled with anger and confusion. The more I thought about Ezio's words, the reasons behind them, the angrier I got.

_So, he thinks that I'm controlling his life? He thinks that I'm trying to make his decisions for him?_ The only reason I even cared so much was because of how I felt about I him. What was so wrong about wanting to be involved in the life of the man you loved? Was it really such a crime, such a bad thing to want to be at his side? Was it wrong to be jealous?

The anger in my reflection's eye grew more dominate, and with a swift kick and swish of my foot, I sent the reflection in a tumble of ripples on the surface of the water. I didn't want to look at myself, to look at the idiot who thought he actually cared about me in the same way I did about him. Fed up with every bit of the world, I gruffly stood up from the pond, standing on one foot and then the other to pull my shoes on over my soaking feet before I turned around.

I stopped in my tracks when I saw a man sitting only a mere three feet away from me, a dark horse at his side next to my white steed, and I momentarily forgot my previous anger. At first, I thought it was Ezio because of the white hood that was hanging over the man's face. But I realized that the whole getup was completely different than what Ezio's robes were. They were the same white color, but they weren't quite as fancy as Ezio's.

The man's stance was intimidating, for he was surely much taller than me, and the skin that I could see of him—his chin, his neck, and his fingers that were shown through fingerless gloves—were a darker shade as if he had seen the sun for a good majority of his days. The smile that was on his lips looked similar to Ezio's, but in a way it wasn't as mischievous and more soft. As I silently assessed him, frozen in my spot, he reached up to his hood and pulled it down to lay it back against his shoulders.

His face was structured in a strong manor, high cheek bones and a broad chin, a heavy dark brow that matched the color of his midnight black hair that was sticking out in every direction. A speckle of stubble dusted his chin and jaw, drawing my attention to his small smirk, shadowed by a strong nose that was angled perfectly with everything else. And his eyes...they were a deep brown, highlighted with a mix of what seemed like honey that made his eyes light up and almost glow just like Ezio's always had.

He shifted on his feet as he folded his arms, his robes falling about his legs in small sections, his red belt twisting and falling with the white. His broad shoulders were covered by spaulders, a dark chest armor wrapping about his torso, and I noticed that he had a bracer attached to his left arm, much like the hidden blades of Ezio. "I heard that there was a party at the Auditore Villa in Monteriggioni," he said slowly, a thick accent floating among his words, making them all sound funny to my ear. His voice sent shivers up my spine, for it sounded somewhat familiar in a way, and it was deep and husky enough to make my knees lightly shake under me. "And yet, here you are, not at the party. Is it odd that I am not very surprised?"

I felt as though I should have been afraid of him, yet I couldn't bring myself to fear him. The look in his eyes told me that he was here for no trouble, and that he was an ally.

"Who...are you?" I asked slowly, trying to show him that I wasn't going to flip out on him.

The smile on his face grew more pronounced. "My name is Tamair. You must be Narina."

I slowly nodded. "_Si_. How do you know who I am?"

"Beautiful, sharp-tongued girl among the Auditores—you're quite popular among the order, no?"

I couldn't help but let the slight shock flood me. "You're part of the Brotherhood? I guess that it isn't so surprising, but..." I paused. "You're not from Italy, are you?"

He surprised me by laughing, and almost immediately, the sound grew dear to me. "No," he chuckled, " I am not from Italy. Does my accent give it away?" I smiled softly and quietly, nodding. He composed himself from his outburst and smirked down at me. "I come from a distant land called Israel, although I have lived in Italy for the past thirteen years."

"Well, you speak our language very fluently."

"Thank you." He suddenly grew more serious. "But alas, I have come from _Roma_ now to finally come and meet you. It is a shame that I have caught you in such a stressful time..." He faded off, raising a brow to me.

"Oh." I blushed. "You saw Ezio and I, I assume?"

"Yes. And I find that this is all too much to ask of you, but since I have come such a long way, I will ask it of you anyways."

I felt my head tilt to one side. "And that is?"

The man, Tamair, explained his story to me. He had lived in Jerusalem, Israel for most of his child hood, up until he was fourteen and then he moved to Italy due to the fact that the Assassin Order was growing more rapidly in Italy. He wanted to help in any way he could, and he even knew Giovanni, which I found nice to know. Giovanni was actually the one to help Tamair colonize himself and learn some of the Italian that Tamair could speak. However, Giovanni had been starting a family at the time Tamair came about, and the young assassin didn't want to burden the Master Assassin any more than he had to. Even if Italy had been more advanced in the Order than Israel had, Tamair found that their numbers were dwindling. So, he took his skills and education to the big city of Rome, where he would try to find liable recruits and train them to be a part of the order. Most of the time, the order was something in family tradition, but since the circumstances were so dire, Tamair made the decision to bring in new-comers.

After years of that, only finding a handful of recruits, Tamair heard news that Giovanni had been killed, along with the rest of the Auditore family. Finding that hard to believe, Tamair went to Monteriggioni to go speak with Mario, another of whom he had met years before, but he saw the older assassin training Ezio, and from there, Tamair knew it was true that Giovanni had died, but Ezio had survived. At that point, Tamair traveled back to Israel to try and uncover some documents of the Grand Master of the Crusades documents that had been left behind so that he too could help with the Order's dire times.

By the time he had told me all of this, we had mounted our horses and started to walk around the city on the paths.

"Have you read the Codex pages in Italy?" He asked me. "I heard that Giovanni and Mario searched for them at one point."

I nodded. "Some of them yes; at least, the ones we have."

A small hesitation took the young man. "Have you read anything in Altair's writings about a man named Malik?"

Thinking back on the little information I was able to get out of the Codex pages, I slowly nodded. "Nothing about him is solidly remembered, but the name was among the text."

Tamair grinned. "Malik's my ancestor. I'm his descendent."

My eyes widened. "Really? Wow, what are the odds that both of Altair's _and_ Malik's descendents find each other hundreds of years later?"

"It is quite remarkable indeed."

I'm not going to lie; I really enjoyed Tamair. He was funny and witty, had a dark hint to him but he was polite all the same. A mystery that I wanted to uncover. Not to mention he made me forget about how mad I was at Ezio.

"So, what's this favor you need to ask of me, now that I know the whole story?"

Suddenly, his smile disappeared and he sighed. "Now this is where I feel like I'm asking too much. When I heard of you being with the Auditores, I became curious and dug out some information on you. You can't kill, right?"

Frowning, shocked that he found such information, I nodded. "Right."

Tamair took a moment, biting at his lip as if he was trying to come up with the right words. "There...when I was in Israel years ago, I found ancient writings from Altair and Malik that say something about such a...a...a situation. I can't recall it all, but I believed it said something about an alternative to it." He straightened in his saddle.

"Really?" I grinned. "That's amazing!"

He nodded. "Yes, it is, but...not only is there that document in Israel, but there is plenty more texts from throughout the years, from the rule of Altair during the crusades to the years that followed until the main Order was moved to Italy that are still in Israel. I believe that it would help the Order here, today, greatly."

"Yes, you're probably right, but what can I do?"

Tamair frowned slightly. "Here's the catch—I need you to come with me to get them. These documents are hidden and I believe you have the talents to find them."

I raised my brow. "I have talents?"

He laughed suddenly. "Obviously, they are hidden talents. We can work together to uncover them. So in the long run, here's the deal: You leave with me to go to Israel so you can learn more about yourself and possibly remember your past more, and then you can uncover valuable information that will help the Brotherhood tremendously here in Italy. In return, I will protect you and train you properly to be able to defend yourself, seeing as normal combat won't do."

"You know, it sounds like you know more about me than I know about myself," I commented, a little suspicious.

The smile that graced his lips was unlike the others he had given me. I noted that it wasn't a true smile; there were hidden notions behind it, and his eyes gleamed like he was hiding a secret. A chill bolted through my spine as I noted that this man knew me well, but I had no idea who he could really be. He could have been lying through his teeth this entire time.

"So? What is your decision?"

I gave it serious consideration. It was reasonable to go with him, wasn't it? Not only was I going to get away from all that was making me miserable at the moment, but I would be uncovering secrets, helping out the Order while, in a way, getting away from it all.  
"I guess..." I took a deep breath. "_Bene_. I'll go with you to Israel."

He raised his brow evenly, like he hadn't expected me to give in so easily, but there was a met expectation in his eyes. "Very well. Do you want to go say goodbye to your family, to the man you love?"

At the word 'love', my brow furrowed and my teeth clenched. My love hadn't changed a thing. If love couldn't change anything, then I'd have to change something somehow. "No, I don't." I spat in between my teeth. "If I go and talk to them, they'll try to stop me. I'm going to break free of their reign and make my own decision." I felt a sneer on my face. "And I'm going to let Ezio live the life he so desires."

The look on Tamair's face warned me that this was my last chance, that I shouldn't do anything I would regret later on. "I must inform you that going to Israel with me will probably require you to leave Italy for a long time. If you don't say your goodbyes now, then you may regret it later."

In my rage and anger, I turned to Tamair and declared, "My decisions are my own. I don't need them to try and change that." I frowned, feeling the earlier anger at Ezio again. "And this way, I'm letting Ezio live his life the way he wants to, since I've apparently been making him live in hell for all these years."

Tamair's expression didn't change from the polite interest. "Very well. Then we head out immediately."

Oh, how I wish I wasn't so blind in my anger now when I think upon that faithful night. How stubborn and foolish I was. But it taught me the valuable lesson of forgiveness and sorrow, regret and love. My idiocy would let me breach through the facade of lies about me, and it would lead me to enlightenment, or at least a small part of it. Perhaps I should be happy that it turned out that way.

Without so much as a second glance back at the partying town, I followed Tamair down the road to Florence.

I wouldn't see Monteriggioni, the people, Mario, Claudia, Maria, even Ezio again for four long years.

* * *

**Four.  
Fucking.  
Years.  
Yeah. It's going to be fun to write those four years. This, my dear friends, is how I'm dealing with the six year skip in the game. :3 Sending Narina off to Training and Knowledge camp in Israel! :3 This'll be fun, 'cause I'll be able to write about Altair and Malik in a sense now. ^^  
Narina has made her own decisions and ran off with the first hot guy that comes riding up.**

**And YES!-Narina is supposed to be very, very stupid at the end of this chapter. Haven't you ever been so mad that you make the stupidest decisions?  
She WILL regret not saying goodbye later—in the next chapter in fact.  
As for Tamair...  
I tested him out on Dragon's-Maidens, and she absolutely adores the guy, so I really, really hope all of you do too! :3 I love Malik, and I was kind of sad that I couldn't do anything with him in this particular story line (I was going to in a prologue or epilogue thing, but that's not until I finish this story so no spoilers are shown), so I created Tamair, the tan, sexy, dark-haired, nice guy that is way too clichéd, but I wanted to put him in here anyway. I is stubborn (like Narina) when it comes to Malik. **

**OH! And the argument with Ezio and Narina? I need to thank SporkedGamer for helping me with that. :3 And Dragon's-Maidens again for talking me out of making it like this harsh, ****waaaay too mean ****thing that would have made half of you hate Ezio forever. **

**ANYWAYS! :3  
Happy Holidays, my dear readers, and thank you for being so patient! :3**

**Review and tell me how you want Narina to suffer for being stupid! :3**

**(Please don't hate me! *gets behind shield to block the rocks *)**

(Thanks to my wonderous and amazing Beta, Kittenbell! :3)


	28. The Bittersweet Reality

**-Yay, new chapter! :3  
-I'm trying out something new with this chapter. :O Hopefully, it'll be worth it! *crosses fingers *  
-So, when I write chapters, I usually listen to a song that reminds me of what's going on in the chapter. For this chapter...I just listened to the ACII Soundtrack (besides for when I wrote Ezio's Thing, which you'll see what I did.)**

**Thanks for reviewing! (38 reviews? I think that's a new record! :3 Thanks so much!):  
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* * *

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**Chapter 27: The Bittersweet Reality**

Tamair's plan was to have us board the boat in Venice and from there, we'd travel across the Adriatic Sea, tagging along all the stops along the middle-east coast until we reached Acre in Israel. From there, we'd either get horses and ride over to Jerusalem, or we might even have to walk.

I should have taken the misfortune of our ride to Forli as a sign that I needed to stay in Italy. We rode all night and I might have dozed off a few times up on my horse, but somehow I managed not to fall off. I wasn't sure how he did it, but Tamair never once looked tired the entire ride. Perhaps he had slept all day beforehand. In any case, I was envious of him. We didn't speak much on the ride, and the trip took a little longer than I was used to because we allowed our horses to slow to a walk, which was probably what was lulling me to sleep in the first place.

When Florence came into view, we continued right past the sleeping city and I felt a longing to stop and rest, to see it one last time before I left for God knows how long. Tamair took notice to my longing gaze but he only smiled at my drowsy form before bidding his horse to transition into a fast trot, and, after yawning, I followed in suite.

In my sleepy state, I took note that it was kind of crazy that I agreed to travel with this guy that I barely knew...but then again, Ezio could lay a girl within moments of meeting her. To me, leaving with Tamair in a noble attempt to find myself and information that could prove vital to the Brotherhood was a much more acceptable outrageous act than fucking anything that walks.

It must have been three hours after midnight when we approached the base of the mountain ridge that I had climbed up and over before. There, Tamair pulled his horse to a stop, reaching over to pet the beast's neck, humming low coos in a tongue that I couldn't understand.

I, too, pulled my horse to a stop. "Is that Israel-tongue?" I asked after watching and listening to him intently.

Tamair glanced up at me, his eyes visible by the milky moonlight. "It's called Arabic," he said with a smile.

Blushing, I dropped off my horse, allowing my dress to fall around my legs. I had realized halfway through the night ride that I practically let Tamair get a full view of my bare legs, but by that point, there was no use in trying to cover them up.

"Are we stopping here for the night, then?"

Tamair nodded, swinging himself off of his horse. "I'm afraid if we move on further, you'll fall asleep and kill yourself by falling off of your horse."

I normally would have been a little annoyed at that remark, but his smile made me forgive him immediately. "Well, it's not my fault that you have an inhuman ability to stay up all night," I pointed out, watching him as he walked towards the tree line to find some wood.

He turned and looked back at me, raising his brow evenly. "_You're_ calling _me_ inhuman?" His words confused me. I gave him a questioning look, but he just shook his head and told me to forget about it. "I slept before I went to the party last night," he explained. "That's why I'm not that tired."

As I gathered his horse's reigns along with mine own, I nodded. "I thought so." I led the horses over to a tree and tied off the reigns, giving them enough slack so that they could graze a bit before I returned to the spot where Tamair sat. He had created a ring of rocks around the branches and assorted bits of wood gathered from the forest. He reached into one of the many pockets at his waist, brought out a flint-rock, and a moment later, there was a growing flame, its small tendrils flickering up towards the sky.

"We'll get to Forli tomorrow," Tamair said quietly, then he gestured to his horse with a flick of his head. "There's a blanket in the saddle bags. You can use it if you wish."

I paused. "What about you?"

He grinned. "Don't worry about it. I have two layers on right now, and thicker clothing than you do. Besides, I'm worried that if you turn wrong in your sleep, your breasts might just fall out."

Blushing and yanking my dress up at the same time, I snapped "Are all men perverts?"

Tamair shrugged, still smiling. "No, but you seem to attract the ones who are."

Not wanting to continue with this conversation, I went over to his horse and started to dig through the saddle bags, looking for this blanket.

"There is food in there too, if you want some," Tamair noted, and right after he said it, my stomach twisted and growled, reminding me that I hadn't found any food at the party before. Eagerly, I dug through the pack some more, found the blanket, and the food right under it.

Wrapped up in the nicely woven blanket, I walked over to the growing fire with a small satchel of food in my hands, just in case he wanted some. Not knowing what to do exactly, realizing that this was going to be a little awkward, I sat near the assassin and held out some of the food. "Want any?" I offered.

He took what I had offered him and I looked to see what I could choose from. I let my fingers pick out a hard looking thing, whatever it was. As I assessed it, I heard Tamair chuckle, and I turned to look at him. "It's not poisonous," he chuckled.

Frowning at him and flushing slightly, I replied "I know that." I looked at the food in my hands again. "I'm just trying to figure out what it is."

"It's dried meat," Tamair said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You know, so it will stay better for a longer period of time."

Finally, I took a nibble at the food, which was almost bland, only a small bit of the actual taste of meat on it. Although I didn't like it much, I figured it was better than nothing, and my growling stomach gave no objection. After eating a little bit of bread that had been in the satchel and taking a drink from the water skin that hung at Tamair's hip, I sat and stared at the fire quietly while Tamair finished his small meal.

Clearing my throat, the man looked up at me. "You said you'd train me properly," I started shyly, then told myself to suck it up and I sat up straighter. "What exactly are we going to do?"

Tamair surprised me when he shrugged. "_Non so_."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

He smiled at me, another one of the weird ones that told me I was missing something. "Look, the techniques are something we'll discuss when we get there. As for what we're going to do, it's just normal training with a few twists that will apply to your odd nature."

"Ah, really?" I groaned and buried my face in my hands. "I thought normal training was hard enough!"

Tamair chuckled. "I never said that the training would be more difficult. You might even find it easier."

I looked at him through my fingers, watching him watch me for a moment.

"Well, okay. If you say so."

Laughing lightly once more before he suddenly let himself fall back against the grass, Tamair waved his hand at me as if to shoo me away. "Why don't you get some sleep? I plan on covering as much ground as we can tomorrow. We need to make it into Venice tomorrow afternoon."

I felt a pout upon my lips, disappointed that I wouldn't be getting to know my traveling companion a little more, but I complied to his waving hand and made my way to my make-shift bed on the other side of the fire. Something inside told me that tomorrow would be a long day.

As I wrapped up in the blanket, laying on my side, finding myself surprised that my breasts almost really _did_ fall out of my dress, I began to wonder what everyone back at Monteriggioni was doing, letting my mind fish around in memories for a moment. Then I shut off any connection and forced myself to think about getting to sleep, telling myself that Tamair would be upset if I was grumpy tomorrow.  
…

Mario would be disappointed.

Maria would be shocked and sad.

Claudia would be relieved in a way, but worried about it in a small sense.

Ezio would be...Ezio would be...

Did they even know I was gone yet? Did they even _care_? Should I have told them goodbye, regardless of the fact that they probably wouldn't have let me go? A quick nip of the bud is less painful than a long and teary goodbye, right? Perhaps, I thought, I was doing them a favor by sending myself away. That was one less mouth to feed, one less voice to listen to, one less burden upon their shoulder. If I was to ever return, then I was doing them a great favor as well; learning how to fight, how to care for myself. Something that I had neglected in the years before. I had always depended upon Ezio and his family for support. By doing this, I could finally learn about myself, take a long gaze upon a surface that had been long forgotten. All I knew was Federico's and Ezio's 'Narina', I wanted to know who I _really_ was.

Snuggling down into the blanket further, smelling a musky scent upon it, I fell asleep.

* * *

Tamair woke me with a shake to my shoulder the next morning, or should I say, two hours later. The sun was barely coming up over the mountains.

When the assassin told me to start to get ready, I sat up and rubbed at my eyes, growling "two hours is not a fucking full-night's rest. That's like a nap!"

He only grinned, already wide awake and packing things onto his horse again. "Nice hair. Give me my blanket."

I wish the blanket would have had more mass to it, because it only hovered in the air and then fell when I tried to throw it at Tamair's smirking face. He let me tend to myself before forcing me to climb up onto my horse, his hands practically shoving me up into the saddle.

"I told you we need to cover a lot of ground today, dear."

The cool morning air tamed my rage a little bit, even the smell of the fresh earth and a crisp aspen scent calming me a bit, but I was still really tired, and the slow rocking of the horse's walk under me didn't help all too much with that. I was constantly rubbing at my eyes, humming nonsense under my breath as I tried to wake myself up more. Tamair rode a little bit ahead of me, leading me up into the slow incline of the mountains.

It must have been at least an hour before I started to feel more awake despite my total lack of sleep. When I was able to sit up straight in my saddle and my eyes stopped hurting so much, I made myself start a conversation with Tamair for the day's ride.

"So, do you have any family back in Israel?" I asked out of the blue.

"Yes," he answered shortly, then gave nothing else.

"Like, your parents or something?" I pressed.

"I have a younger sister who is married. I haven't seen her for years though." He turned his head to look back at me slightly. "My parents died when I was eight."

If he was trying to make me feel bad...then he was good at it. But I continued to poke for information anyways. "Ah, I'm sorry, for what it's worth. Where did you stay in Italy?"

"Rome."

"Oh, right." I sniffed. "You have anybody waiting for you back in Israel?"

He paused, and then looked back at me with a disapproving look. "Narina, I was fourteen the last time I was in Israel."

A small pause. "Soooo, do you?"

"No. I don't," he said with a roll of his eyes.

Taking that as a notion that it was a sensitive subject, I dug through my mind for other questions.

I found out Tamair had started training to become a part of the Brotherhood when he was only ten years old, it had taken him two years after his parents' death to figure out that his dad had been an Assassin, he had a scar on his right shoulder blade from a fight a few years back, and his favorite colors were earthy tones. Oh, and he liked cheese from Spain.

* * *

After I felt that I had annoyed him sufficiently with my questions, I watched the countryside go by silently, taking note that I hadn't really had the chance to notice how beautiful the rolling hills were on my previous trips. The day was perfect for traveling, a few clouds stretching across the sky to cast a few shadows across our path. I sighed in content, momentarily forgetting that I had just run away with some strange Assassin and left behind all that I had come to love.

But the cool breeze whispered to me that there was something that I couldn't forget, and I looked to my right, seeing a familiar tree to the side of the path, and for a moment, I could imagine a naïve, blue-eyed girl running around it, chasing after a grinning boy with a red ribbon in his fingers.

I looked up to Tamair on his horse, walking a bit in front of me still, his body rising and falling with the steps of the horse, his shoulders set straight and his hood hanging on his head.

And I started to regret it a little bit. At least, the whole 'not saying goodbye' deal. Who knew how long I'd be gone, and, even though I thought differently at the time, it would have been worth it to say goodbye. Probably would have made me feel better about it all. Reaching up and rubbing my temple with my left hand, I sighed and told myself that it had to be this way. Besides, it was too late to back out now, wasn't it?

* * *

We stopped a few hours later next to a small river, Tamair wanting to give the horses a break and to refill his water-skin. As they did so, I pulled off my slippers and dipped my feet into the running water, enjoying the feel of the water running in between my toes, a smiling appearing on my face.

"You don't know how to swim, do you?"

I looked up into Tamair's dark but curious gaze. "No." I shook my head. "Not really."

"Yet you are not afraid of it?"

"Why should I be?" I kicked my feet, splashing water up into the air. "It's not the water's fault that I can't breath it."

Tamair laughed out-right. "That is indeed one way to look at it." I smiled at his laughter, somewhat happy to see that he could be not so-serious all the time.

But his laughter was cut off suddenly and he cocked his head to the side. "Did you hear that?"

My eyes widened, and I looked around quickly. "No. Should I have?"

"Shh!" Tamair suddenly seized me by the arm and yanked me up from the edge of the river, dragging me over to my horse.

"What about my shoes?" I exclaimed as he set me up onto my horse. He didn't answer me, taking a hold of my horse's reigns before climbing up into his own saddle, kicking his horse's sides until it broke off into a gallop, my horse following in suite. As I bounced uncomfortably in my saddle, my legs gripping hard onto my seat, I yelled "What's going on? Why are we running? What about my shoes!" The intensity in the air had thickened to the point that it had me breathing unnaturally.

Tamair couldn't even spare me a look back, and it was only when we started declining a low hill that he turned to look back at me. "Narina, I-" Suddenly, I was sent flying through the air, the scream of the horse that had been under me two seconds ago splitting the air before I smacked into the ground, rolled a few times and came to a stop in a patch of grass which tickled at my face. I must have blacked out for a moment, because the next part I remember is looking up and seeing Tamair standing above me, his sword in his right hand while we were surrounded by about five people. They didn't look like any guards or enemies I had seen before. Actually, they looked like normal people to me. I sat up slowly.

"Narina, are you okay?" Tamair whispered down to me.

When I looked around the area, Tamair's horse was down the path a ways ahead, nickering loudly, while my horse lay dying at the side of the road a few paces back, its legs from the shins down cut off, the blood pooling around the torso where several arrows had pierced it. I rubbed the back of my head, then my elbows, which really hurt, and I was surprised to find blood on my fingers.

Before I could reply to Tamair's earlier question, his gaze snapped down to me, and, quickly sheathing his sword, reached down, grabbed my bleeding elbows and tugged me up on my feet. I cried out at the pain of him pressing on my wounds. Without another word, his hands smeared with my blood, he stared at his fingers, a light shudder bolting through him before he turned to the people surrounding us.

They said something in words that were foreign to me. When Tamair replied, I realized that it must have been Arabic. _Such nice friends he has_, I thought bitterly, trying to hold my elbows. Even though I was kind of mad at him for hurting me, I still stood close to his back, trying to hide myself from the men that surrounded us. They all continued to talk, the tone not at all a friendly sounding, and I could hear the threats in the set of Tamair's voice even though I couldn't understand him.

Suddenly, the assassin reached around and took a hold of my arm, dragging me around in front of him to face all of the men. Thinking he was throwing me up for a target, I started to squirm and exclaim "Let go of me, _asino_! What are you doing?"

I heard the sound of metal running across metal, and then his hidden blade was pressed against my throat. I froze immediately, feeling the rather sharp edge press against my skin. Tamair said something in Arabic to the men, who had all frozen just as I had, and when Tamair was done speaking, they all shook their heads vigorously. Tamair pulled the blade away a little, and just when I thought he was going to let me go, he shouted out something, making me jump in his strong hold. I realized that if he hadn't moved the blade, I would have just cut myself on accident from my flinch.

Then suddenly, Tamair's blade moved from the side of my neck to my arm and sliced down, causing a sharp bolt of pain to shoot through me. I screamed out in pain and immediately clutched at my arm where the blade had cut. Warm, sticky blood pooled in between my fingers and began to drip down my arm. Just as I was about to start yelling at Tamair for doing something so stupid, for making me think that I could trust him, I stopped with the words on my tongue.

I had never seen such pain, such agony in someone's eyes as I saw when I looked into Tamair's eyes then. It was almost as if he was about to start crying in a way, the horror and devastation clear in his gaze. Then he quickly clamped them shut, reached out and covered my wound with his hand before he let go of me and raised his bloody hand to the men.

It took me by surprise the way they suddenly started to shake at the sight of my blood, their faces growing pale, and their weapons in their hands quivering with their limbs.

Tamair, glaring harshly, snapped something at the men before he pulled out his sword threateningly.

Dropping all of their weapons, the men took off down the road, their tails tucked between their legs.

Everything had happened so fast, I could just stand there, dumfounded for a moment, gripping at my bleeding arm. When I felt his fingers press into my hand, bringing me back to reality, I turned on him, ripping my hand from his and started yelling.

"What the fuck were you just doing! Why did you cut me? I'm bleeding everywhere! Who the hell were those guys! Why did they attack us?"

Tamair looked devastated again, and I cursed myself internally for not being able to be mad at a man who looked as though he were a child again. He kept quiet, taking a hold of my hand again to lead me to his horse, my bare feet kicking up dust on the road. By the time he had found the bandages, the bleeding from my cut had actually almost stopped. Tamair must have known what he was doing and didn't cut me too deep. Using a small cloth, he dabbed some of the cleaning alcohol on my elbows, cleaning up the blood that was drying up there while also cleaning out my arm wound. While he was wrapping the bandages around my elbows, I watched him carefully.

"_Ciò che è successo appena? _(What just happened?)" I asked.

Tamair finished tying the bandages and let me take a step away from him. Although it wasn't as noticeable, I could still see the agony in his eyes, hidden by a careful facade. "Those men—they're my enemies back in Israel. They've been chasing after me in Italy for years now."

"And is it just irony that they find you now?"

"They've found me before," Tamair explained, turning around to place the medical supplies he hadn't used back into the bag.

I touched at my arm. "And you cut me, why?"

A frown appeared on his face. "I'm not sure how to explain that one. Look, it's like this: those men are not our Templar enemies. They are more like accomplices to the Templars, and yes, there _is_ a difference."

I remembered that Lucio had said something similar, and those men must have be what Lucio had been. "They were planning on using me for something then?"

Tamair raised his brow in surprise. "You know this?"

"There was some kid who kidnapped me a while ago who said the same thing about there being a difference between him and the Templars."

"I see." He cleared his throat, suddenly looking bashful and reaching into his hood to rub his head. "_Mi dispace_ for hurting you. It was the only way to get them to leave without having too much bloodshed."

I frowned at his logic, but I had the feeling that he had meant well, and that it had been the lesser of the two evils.

"It's okay," I whispered. "Now stop looking so miserable. I'm the one walking around without any shoes. Let's just go."

Since my horse had been killed in all the commotion (what the hell was up with me and dead horses?), we had to saddle up on one horse, me climbing up into the back of Tamair's saddle. Embarrassingly enough, I was wearing a dress, and I didn't have enough room up on the saddle myself to ride side-saddle. So, I had to straddle Tamair with my dress bunched around my upper legs. He didn't say anything about it, which I was glad for, but I still tried not to cling to him just to play it safe.

* * *

When we approached the port city of Forli, Tamair cast a look back to me. "You need to stop for anything?"

My bladder told me yes. My stomach told me yes. But I had to ask: "Do we have time?"

The hood bobbed up and down, Tamair's chin dipping down with it. "_Si_. We can stop by town to get something to eat."

"_Molto bene_," I said, relieved. "Let's stop."

We took the horse to the stables outside the gates to the city, and while I shook out my legs which had gone jelly-like from the long ride, Tamair relieved the horse of some of its packs, throwing them over his own shoulder. I guess it did lessen the chance that we would get robbed, but I found it really weird. Apparently, so did the guards who were at the side of the gates. They eyed us warily as Tamair strolled past, his hood shadowing his face. I considered giving the guards an apologetic smile, but decided against it and scampered after the hooded man.

As I found a secluded place to relieve myself, Tamair went through the markets, poking around at all the food. It was weird having to buy my own food in a town aside from Monteriggioni. Ezio and I always had mooched off of other people, which was probably a bad thing, but it had happened in any case. Tamair was a good haggler though, I learned, watching him barter with a man who was selling some tasty looking fruits. Another thing I learned about him: he was _very_ good with words, whether or not Italian was his first language. Only spending about 50 florins, Tamair and I headed out for the docks.

"_Merda_," I whispered, remembering something as we approached the docks.

Tamair spared me a glance. "What?"

"We don't have passes to get on the boat," I said with a frown. "The guy guarding the docks won't let us on."

Grinning, Tamair shifted the packs he was carrying in his arms so he could reach into one of the pouches at his waist, and he pulled out a slip of paper. "Written permission from Sister Teodora of the church in Venice has invited us to go to the city."

Raising my brow, I said, "wow. How'd you manage to come up with a story like that?"

"It's not a story," Tamair said defensively. "There truly is a Sister Teodora in the Church of Venice. I have my connections."

With the slip of written permission that Tamair had, we were able to get onto the boat with no problem. As we lugged our stuff to a cabin below the deck, I glanced up at the man at the other side of the room. "I didn't know your connections were so popular."

Tamair shrugged, sitting down on one of the beds and using the toe of one boot to press against the back of the other so he could take it off. "Religion is a big deal in this here day and age, Narina. It can be used to trick anyone."

"Hm." I sat down on the other bed and watched at Tamair started to make himself more comfortable, pulling off his straps about his waist to take away the pouches, kicking aside his boots, unbuckling his hidden blade and swords, placing his things to the side of the bed.

He looked up at me when I started to slowly shake my head. "I don't know how you assassins run around with two hundred extra pounds of weight."

"You will be able to as well," Tamair said in a weird huff as he stood from the bed and pulled his assassin robes over his head, leaving him in a shirt that seemed almost a little too small for him and his dark trousers. Without all of his heavy armor and weapons on, he looked like a normal guy. "That's what part of your training will be: the ability to carry more than your own weight."

I suddenly started to feel awkward about having him stripping down his defenses in front of me, a strange thought coming to my head when I realized that this guy trusted me enough to expose himself like this. "Sou—sou..." I cleared my throat. "Sounds like a lot of work."

Tamair nodded lazily, folding his robes over his arm before he placed it with his other things on the floor. Then he flipped himself back onto the cot, folding his arms behind his head, his muscles stretching against his shirt fabric. "I'm getting some sleep. I agree with you. Two hours isn't near enough time to sleep." He had shut his eyes, but one of them opened to peer at me. "You should get some sleep too. You look awful."

"Gee," I murmured, rubbing at my sore elbows and then my dirty feet. "You flatter me."

Tamair sighed loudly, chuckled once, then rolled over so his back was towards me. I stared at him for a moment, watching as his breathing slowed and fell even. It wasn't until after the boat lurched forward, the word above on deck coming alive that I curled up on my own bed and fell asleep.

* * *

_Where'd you go?  
I miss you so.  
Seems like it's been forever,  
since you've been gone.  
Please come back home._

_- "Where'd You go" by _Fort Minor

* * *

_June 3rd, 1480_

Ezio awoke the next morning, groggy and, for a moment, lost in his own thoughts. It seemed as though he couldn't remember what had happened the night before. Then slowly, the details started to come back. His memory was fuzzy, but he definitely remembered the jist of what had happened. A groan vibrated from his chest and he reached up to rub at his tired eyes. He had been so upset at Narina that he couldn't enjoy the party for the rest of the night, and even turned in early. Not only did he not have a good time, but he'd have to find some fantastic way to make it up to Narina. She was always one to hold grudges in the first place. Ezio grinned in his sleepy state, coming up with one idea that would be enjoyed by both of them.

While Ezio took a quick morning walk before breakfast was served, Claudia had been asked by her mother to go wake up Narina. The Auditore girl had taken note that it was strange how Narina wasn't up yet, knowing that the dark haired woman usually got up on her own accord.

"Narina?" Claudia called out, rapping loudly on the door. "Narina, it's time for breakfast." Expecting an answer, Claudia was momentarily miffed that no sound came from the other side of the door. Claudia had been so sure that Narina had holed up in her room sometime throughout the night, considering how her confrontation with Ezio had gone. Knocking once more, Claudia called out again, then took her chances and opened the door.

To her surprise, Narina wasn't in her bed.

Mario was sitting at the dining table, talking softly with Maria who sat to his right. Claudia walked into the room, a strange look upon her face.

"What is it?" Maria asked, looking up at her daughter.

Claudia shrugged. "Narina isn't in her room. She must have gone out this morning."

"That's strange," Mario noted in a low voice. "I usually hear her walking around the house when she's up early." Shrugging it off, Mario took a sip of the water that had been placed before him.

Maria, on the other hand, didn't let it go so easily. "It's strange indeed. Perhaps we should find her before we start eating?"

Mario waved a hand at Maria. "Nonsense! She's a grown woman; she'll come to breakfast when she pleases."

Something strange twisted in the pit of Maria's stomach, and she could not let the matter slip by so easily. "Hopefully Ezio will run into her on his walk. Claudia, can you go make sure she isn't up on the roof again?"

Claudia sat down at the table, shaking her head. "Narina only goes on the roof at night time—that's when the stars are out."

"Then maybe she fell asleep out there."

"The sun would have woken her up by now," Mario pointed out, then reached over to take a hold of Maria's shoulder. "You worry too much, Maria. Narina can take care of herself."

Seemingly, the older woman calmed down and went back to talking with her daughter about the party the night before. But something was wrong in the air; an absence that Maria knew all too well.

Something was wrong.

Something was gone.

Maria wasn't the only one to worry.

After a few hours, Claudia grew worried too. Not worried about Narina, but about her friend, Ciosa, who hadn't talked to her the entire night and hadn't even said goodbye.

By noon, there had still been no sign of Narina. When Maria tried to bring it to Mario's attention, the Uncle simply waved it off again, saying that there was no need to worry about her. However, Maria wasn't about to lose another family member. She had sat by for too long. The mother approached her son.

"Ezio," she started, walking out to the training ring where Ezio was sparring with a mercenary. The duel paused for the time being, and a sweat-covered Ezio acknowledged his mother with a tilt of his head and an questioning look. "Narina still hasn't been seen," she explained quickly. "I'm going to admit that I'm worried about it."

"You shouldn't be, Mother," Ezio said with a charming smile. "She's probably just running about town or something."

Maria used a sweep of her arm to gesture to the city. "Then tell me: Have you seen her 'running about'?"

Sighing, Ezio used his sleeve to wipe at his face. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll go look for her. She might attack me when I find her, but I will do it anyways."

Taking no comfort in his words, Maria nodded slightly and walked back into the Villa.

After the duel was over, Ezio easily beating the opposing man, the Assassin jumped out of the ring and began his search of the city, keeping his eyes peeled for his blue-eyed beauty.

Ezio wasn't successful even by the time the sun left the middle of the sky and started to hide behind the buildings. Convinced that she must have slipped past him somewhere along the day and was back in the Villa, Ezio dropped the search and walked back up to the house, still unmoved by the turn of events.

Mario frowned at his nephew when we walked into the dining room.

"Narina isn't with you?"

Ezio shook his head, sitting down next to his sister. "I thought she'd be back here by now."

Mario glanced at Maria, who was giving him the worried look she had worn for most of the day. "Strange. She isn't here."

Ezio's brow furrowed, reaching for things to put on his plate. "Well, where else could she be? I didn't see her around the city."

"She probably left for Florence or something," Claudia put in. "Just ran off because she didn't want to go to the party."

"Claudia," Maria started in a warning tone, then continued, "Narina wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to anyone, or at least telling them where she was going. Besides, I'm sure she'd rather travel with Ezio than go alone. What business could be so important that she'd leave in such a rush?"

"I could go talk to the stable boys," Mario put in, finally giving in to Maria's concerned looks. "See if they've seen her anywhere."

"She'll be back tonight," Ezio said with a grin. "If not, I'll be the one to ask the stable boys myself!" With that, the young man pushed a fork full of meat into his mouth and followed it with a chug of water.

* * *

_June 4th, 1480_

Ezio made his way down to the stables, suddenly just as worried about this whole disappearing act as his mother was. Narina hadn't come home. Her bed was still untouched. No one in the city had seen her since the party. For some odd reason that Ezio couldn't figure out, he felt partially responsible for her disappearance. It was foolish of him to think so, though, for (in his eyes) him and Narina had gotten into much worse fights before.

When he asked the stable-boys about Narina, the youngest one out of the group spoke up, claiming that he had helped her saddle up a horse the night of the party.

"She didn't ride towards Firenze or that direction," he explained. "She simply rode around the Villa."

Ezio took a quick look at all the horses in the stable. "Is that horse still gone?"

"Um." The boy gazed in the same direction of Ezio's stare. "Um, yes."

A rather large sigh pushed through Ezio's lips. "Bene, grazie. I'll leave for Firenze in a few days then, see if I can't catch up to her."

* * *

_June 12,1480_

Narina was no where to be found in Florence. Even with the help of Paola and her girls, there simply was no sign that Narina had even stepped foot in the town.

At this point, Ezio was almost positive that Narina had scampered off to the floating city to probably go house with Leonardo or the thieves. The decision now was whether to just send a message there to see if Narina had been there, or to risk actually going there so soon after his notoriety had sky-rocketed. He frowned at the thought of a message being relayed, and he decided it best to go himself. He was probably the only one who could drag her back to Monteriggioni in the first place.

After thanking Paola for allowing him to stay at her home for a few days, Ezio saddled up and made his destination the direction of the mountains, more specifically, Forli.

When he found the dead horse, half eaten by the creatures of the forest near the clearing that opened into the winding road down to Forli, Ezio was suddenly concerned that Narina had continued to go on foot to Forli. Either that or she had been eaten by the beasts herself. Trying not to think of the later, Ezio passed the horse and continued down his path.

But even he couldn't help but start to worry.

* * *

_June 14, 1480_

The boat landed in Venice, and Ezio took special care to hide himself carefully. It would be a shame to be caught for he was in no mood to fight. He had asked around Forli the day before. No one there had seen a girl that matched the description of Narina, not even the man guarding the entry of the boat. Either that or he had simply forgotten.

But he had to place that behind him now. He needed to go speak with Leonardo and Antonio immediately. This little game of hide-and-seek had to end now. It was getting all too serious for Ezio, and he didn't like it one bit.

Slipping by the guards, Ezio found himself at the Artist's workshop first, lowering his hood before he knocked on the door and walked in. At first, Leonardo wasn't in the workshop, but after a moment of standing around and looking about, Ezio watched as the young man walked into the room, spotted Ezio, jumped in shock, then grinned brightly.

"Ezio! My good friend! It's so good to see you are alright!"

"That actually depends," Ezio said after giving his friend a hug. "Have you seen Narina?"

Leonardo's face dropped. "Narina? No, I haven't." Leonardo suddenly grew worried. "Has she gone missing in the city?"

Ezio then explained what had happened (leaving out the small detail of his fight with Narina) and Leonardo grew even more upset. "Well, this is terrible!" He exclaimed. "Hopefully you will find her here. I will search with you if I must!"

Ezio declined, shaking his head. "It's fine. I'll go see if she's at the Thieves Guild real quick, and have them help me if she isn't there. Thanks for your help, Leonardo."

"And how useless it is!" The artist seemed to have to hold himself back from following Ezio out of the shop.

Rosa and Ugo met up with Ezio outside of the guild, surprised that he had returned so quickly. Excluding his earlier 'small detail', Ezio told them why he had come back, and to his utter horror, they shook their heads 'no' when he asked if Narina had been around.

It had been over ten days, and Narina wasn't anywhere to be found.

* * *

_June 20, 1480_

Narina was gone.

The last time he had seen her was when he was yelling at her.

The last words he had told her was that he didn't care about her.

He had made her hide someplace she could never be found.

He had made her run away.

He missed her voice.

He missed her laugh.

He missed her smile.

He missed her.

Ezio started to panic.

* * *

**So, there were a lot of people who were saying 'are we going to know what Ezio is doing back in Italy?'**  
**The answer is: Yes. Well, sort of.**

**This is how you guys will know what he's up to. I'm doing little journal entry sort of things like I did up above. Since I'm writing in First Person Point of View, I couldn't just switch over to Ezio's POV. That's not very...pleasant to do so and it doesn't fit in with my plot either. So this is how it's going to be.  
And yes. Ezio is going to go crazy. (Not really. :3) Well, most of you were mad at him after the last chapter, so I decided to make him suffer so you can all love him again. :D  
Oh, and if this chapter seemed rushed...well, it was. :P Sorry. As for the whole thing that happened with Tamair and the group of people...what Tamair did is important. Keep that in mind.**

**Well, my dear readers, this is my Legit Christmas Present to you! :3 I'm sorry there wasn't much sexiness in it, but it's all that I have to give, I'm afraid. :( (I'm a poor son of a bitch. XD)**

**But I really want to dedicate this chapter to my three very good friends who have supported me so much! (****SporkedGamer****, ****Dragon's-Maidens****, and ****Zeta Adele****) :3 I love you guys so much, and thank you for everything!**

**Happy Holidays everyone! :3  
Review! :D**

**(And extra love for my Beta, Kittenbell! :3)**


	29. The Four Lessons Part 1

**-Whoo! So I finally figured out how I'm going to do this four year skip thing. Two years at a time. :3 So, two chapters and then we're back to Ezio! I promise.  
****-I dedicate this chapter to my Bestest Buddy, SporkedGamer, and also to all of my readers out there who have drawn me beautiful pictures! (DA names: pinkbunnywuvsfood, nicky121294, and Siwsen)  
****-Okay, so get this...I was stupid and didn't brush up on my history, and a reviewer (thank you, Dragonstar-dreamer) totally pointed it out to me. CHECK THIS OUT!: Israel didn't 'exist' back in the 1400's! The state wasn't named Israel until 1948...yeah I'm about 400 years off. D: Oh no! I think I have a plan to fix that (thanks to Dragon's-Maidens for help on that), but otherwise...uh... I know this isn't very professional (oh great, I'm considering myself professional now. -_-'') but can we just pretend that Israel is what the Holy Land was called back in the 1400's? Just for these next few chapters, okay? :3  
****-XD It makes me laugh how many of you seriously don't trust Tamair! :3 He's a good guy, I promise. He just...he knows some things, that's all. ;)**

**Thanks for reviewing!:  
SporkedGamer  
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* * *

**Chapter 29: The Four Lessons (Part I)**

_**Year One**_

**Lesson 1: Business First. Wants Later**

It was sad to me when we arrived at Venice that evening, the sun shining lightly over the mountains across the sea, the sea that I would soon be crossing. The boat leaving for the trip around the Adriatic Sea would be leaving in a few days, so that gave us some time to stock up for the ride over. That night, Tamair payed for an Inn, which was odd considering that I had never before slept in a place where I had to pay for it. It was rather nice, actually, despite the fact that others had slept in the little room before we had.

Since we had slept on the way over, we weren't exactly tired. It's probably a good thing that Venice is a big town and it wouldn't look so suspicious if a few people were walking around at night since there were many others. After a moment of discussion, we decided to go through the city to get some supplies and something to eat. For some reason, Tamair insisted that I wear a scarf to hide my face when we went walking around town.

"Why?" I asked him, looking at the faded blue scarf he had handed me.

"You're still wanted around this city from Ezio's little attack on the Doge," Tamair explained, taking the scarf from me and wrapping it around my head.

"But I don't want to wear it," I complained as he draped the cloth over my forehead, shadowing my eyes while he lightly knotted it under my chin.

"It's either wear it or you're going to be killed." Tamair made sure that I was able to see properly before he led me out of the Inn and onto the Venice streets.

We didn't say much as we walked around. I blamed the awful smell—if you opened your mouth, you could pretty much _taste_ it. But it was really because we had nothing to say. Tamair was a guy that wasn't much for words, I figured out, and I always just felt like an idiot whenever I asked him a question. We did, however, discuss what to get to eat. Any meat was out of the question, considering we wouldn't be able to cook it anyways, so our meals relied on grains, dairy products and fruits.

Tamair was, surprisingly, rich. As least for a random guy who just popped out of nowhere. And the way he spent money told me that he really didn't care whether he had the Florins or not. It led me to wonder just how he had gotten Italian money since he was from Israel. But I answered my own unspoken question when I remembered that Tamair had been in Italy for thirteen years and he had probably hoarded enough money by the same pick pocketing skills Ezio had learned.

Even though we weren't very tired, we still went back to the Inn and went to our room. Tamair let me have the one big bed after he saw me realize there was only one with wide, worried eyes. I climbed into the bed in the party dress which was torn, bloody and dirty now, and I sat there, my head tilted to the side to watch Tamair write in a small book as he sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. I found it strange that he trusted me so much, strange how he would shed himself of all armor and even place his weapons aside. Not only was it a form of showing me that he trusted me, but it showed that he was completely confident in himself. I had yet to figure out whether or not it was arrogance or if it was a reasonable confidence. Sometime during the late of the night, Tamair still writing in his little book, I fell asleep watching him.

* * *

The next day was much the same. Both of us slept into the day time and then we spent what rest of day-light we had to go clothes shopping for me. Tamair frowned upon my dress.

"As pretty as you are in it," he said, pulling the scarf over my head again before we left the Inn, "I think we need to get you some clothes you can move properly in."

"I couldn't agree more!" I exalted, smiling brightly as he knotted the scarf under my chin. Tamair pulled his hood over his face and ushered me out of the Inn with a hand on my lower back. Instead of just waltzing down the street like we had before, Tamair pulled me to a stop and looked around warily for a moment before continuing to lead me down the street. I wondered why he was being so careful, but I didn't have enough curiosity within me to ask him why.

The tailor shop had such wonderful choices of clothes! I remember running around the shop eagerly, dying to get out of the dress that made me feel like I was running around naked. Tamair just watched me quietly with a small smirk as I went through all of the clothes. I finally was able to pick a outfit that I liked enough, the design much similar to the clothes that I had taken from Ezio, only it had a much more fancy design—the same shade of black vest but with gold stitching around the edges, and a dressy shirt that stopped around my wrists instead of my elbows, and dark slacks that I absolutely loved. Tamair even gave me the pleasure of buying me some boots and it was nice to have shoes again.

All of the clothes, of course, were too big for me, so the tailor had to fit them to my size, which took a few hours of just Tamair and I lounging around in the shop, wordless. I didn't let the lack of conversation bother me—I was much too happy about getting out of my stupid dress. Throughout the waiting period, though, Tamair took the sudden liberty to yank up my sleeve without so much as a low grunt and re-dress my cut. Even though I was surprised at the sudden movement, I didn't say anything and watched him quietly, suddenly wondering what was going on in that head of his. The look in his eyes was that saddened, regretful look again, but it wasn't as intense this time.

Once dressed like a man again, I would have ran out into the streets and started singing for the feeling of having my thighs not touch anymore when I walked, but Tamair held me back into the shop until the cloth was draped back over my head.

"Why are you so persistent about having me wear this thing?" I wondered, giddy enough to talk with the man.

"It's something you're going to have to get accustomed to in Jerusalem." Tamair explained. "Women aren't supposed to show skin."

"And if they do?"

"They're raped."

I frowned, following Tamair out of the shop after the Assassin quietly thanked the Tailor and paid him a handful of florins. "What are you talking about? Women dress worse than I do in my-"I giggled "-_manly _clothes."

Tamair sighed and looked back at me. "Narina, things are different in Israel than they are here in Italy. A different land means a different culture."

"Well, maybe it changed while you were away," I replied with an innocent tilt of my head. Never responding, Tamair looked back forward and led me back to the Inn.

* * *

Around evening of the next day, a couple of hours before the boat would be leaving for the Adriatic, a hard-core, full blast of melancholy hit me. Well I call it melancholy, but Tamair called it reality.

And I started to cry.

To avoid getting accusing glares from the occasional passerby, Tamair simply pulled me to his side, his arm about my shoulder as I pressed my face into his chest, as if he were a loving husband of some kind.

Truthfully, it all hit me. What I was doing. What would happen when I left. Whether it be for the Brotherhood or not, I was leaving the only home that I knew. And honestly, I had never been good with farewells. When I thought about it, I knew that it was all so foolish to even cry about it, but I couldn't help myself. Whether or not Ezio was a man-whore who was using me to his own desire, he had been the only one I knew for all my life. It was hard to let go of him, even though I knew deep inside that I would be returning. I just didn't know when.

Right when I was about to stop crying for the first time, Tamair still holding me gently to him, I suddenly remembered that I didn't get to say goodbye to any of the other Auditore men before they died, and then I made up the 'what-if' scenario of Ezio dying while I was away and that caused me to start crying all over again. I felt Tamair's chest rise and fall sharply under me as I pressed myself to him again, and I knew he must have been sick and tired of me already. But in a way, I was glad he let me get it all out, because having to deal with it on the boat would have been so much worse than enduring it out on the Venice docks.

I managed to clean myself up enough to be presentable by the time the boat came along. Tamair, once again being sort of on the richer side somehow, was able to pay for both of our tolls. We only had a small pack for both of us—the pack of the things Tamair had brought with him before he picked me up and the few food items we bought back in the markets. Down in the cabins, when I watched Tamair place the pack down, I pointed out a concern. "We don't have that much food," I whispered.

Tamair smiled at me softly. He had grown suddenly more...caring, or something of the same assortment, when I finished with my crying session. I think he was trying to make me feel better about it all in his own little subtle way.

"We only need enough food for this boat ride. Once we land in Acre, we'll go shopping again."

We stayed in our cabin for a good hour, discussing what we would do once we got to Acre and where we would go from there. It sounded like we would trade on and off with training and uncovering information. Actually, first things first, we had to uncover my 'hidden talent' in order to get anywhere. According to Tamair, however, it would be easy to do that. After I had asked him a million questions about what life was like over at the far away place across the sea, the boat creaked loudly and then, after a few sudden and uncomfortable lurches, I could feel the rock of the waves under the boat. I took a deep breath, feeling suddenly nauseous. I was actually doing this. I was actually leaving Italy!

Only moments later, Tamair gently took a hold of my wrist and led me out of the cabin and back up onto the deck. Although I was thoroughly confused, I kept my questions to myself, feeling as though I had already pelted him enough with them. He led me to the edge of the deck, next to the railing, and there, he quietly looked at Venice, which was already a lot farther away than I realized. It was strange to me as I stared out at the shrinking city that I felt a moment of panic, and I felt a sudden urge to throw myself over the edge of the boat so I could go back.

Tamair's grip slightly tightened. "You can't swim, remember?"

I stared up at the man in sudden wonderment, surprised that he just seemed to know what I was feeling. He didn't answer to my questioning look and he looked back at Venice. "This might be the last time you see Italy for a long while." Tamair didn't say anything else, but I understood what he was getting at. This was my last chance to gaze upon my once upon life before I went to a new one. Glance one more time at all that I loved.

I ended up standing on the deck, staring at the floating city with uncertainty tight in my tummy and tears forming then being blinked away in my eyes until Venice could no longer be seen; until it blended into the darkness of the mountains and the sea.

* * *

The trip across the Adriatic was strange.

The boat would make stops to other port towns along the coast that could always be seen on the far horizon to the east. Some weird and intriguing characters got onto the boat at those stops, all of them blabbing in a tongue that I couldn't understand. If there is anything the trip across the sea taught me, it was how big the world actually was, how vast all the knowledge in the world was. I would sit by idly sometimes on the deck and listen to the foreign words from the group across the way. At first, I shied away from these people, categorizing them as things and people who weren't even people. But after days of Tamair's encouragements to try and understand them, I began to find the people very interesting.

I began to understand Tamair better on the boat ride too. And it was more meaningful than his family story and his favorite cheese. I believe it was the sixth night on the boat, I wandered around for hours trying to find the man that I hadn't really talked to for the most part of the ride. I found him on deck, leaning against the railing, his face turned up towards the skies, his eyes closed.

Knowing that he was probably the best reflex Assassin I had ever seen, I was surprised when he didn't look down at me as I snuck up beside him. I sat there for a moment, staring at him quietly while the low buzz of the mixed languages around us blurred into a hum. His dark, spiky hair floated lightly on the sea breeze, his face lit up by the dim moonlight that was skewed by the clouds. Finally, after a minute or so, he sucked in a deep breath, and then looked down at me.

"Hey," I whispered.

He hesitated. "Hey."

"What you doing out here all by yourself?"

Tamair turned back out towards the sea. "I was just thinking."

A pause. "About?"

A soft smile appeared on his lips and he looked down at me. "Since when did you start worrying about what I think about?"

I shrugged. "You just looked...content and yet so worried at the same time."

Tamair's gaze shifted to a group of men standing near us, who had stopped and turned their gazes upon us. Something shifted in the air about Tamair, and he suddenly took a hold of my elbow, tugging me behind him. "Let's talk about this down in the cabin."

"You sure? This night air feels kind of nice. The nights are starting to get a lot warmer."

"I'm positive."

Down in the cabin, Tamair finally let go of me once the door was closed behind us.

"Why suddenly so gruff?"

"_Mi dispace_," Tamair said, giving me a weird smile. "Those men were listening to us."

I pouted. "Tamair, they got on two stops ago—I'm pretty sure they don't understand Italian."

"I wasn't worried that they'd _understand_, Narina." Tamair gave me a look, like he was surprised that I had thought otherwise. "I was worried about you, actually."

"Me?" I was the one to give the funny look now. "Why, exactly, might I ask?"

Tamair's brow furrowed. "You really don't give yourself enough credit. I guess that's another lesson to be taught on this adventure: Teach Narina how to be an actual lady."

"Hey," I said defensively. "I've worn a dress."

"Wearing a dress doesn't make you a woman, Narina," Tamair pointed out. "Have you not noticed that there are plenty of men who wear dresses."

"No, those are robes."

I received an annoyed look for that one. "Look, the point is that you need to learn."

Folding my arms, I held my head high. "No. I don't want to."

Tamair chuckled darkly suddenly. "Narina, my dear, what you want is not always what needs to be done."

"Why do I have to be a lady?" I whined, then shook my head and reached out to poke at Tamair's face. "Never mind. Forget about it. Answer my earlier question."

He cocked a brow at me. "What I was thinking about?" I nodded, but he only smiled and shook his head softly. "You don't really want to know."

"Oh, but I do," I said, putting my hands on my hips. "Or else I wouldn't have asked."

Tamair just sighed and lightly shrugged, turning around to his cot so he could pick up one of his swords that lay upon the blanket. "Just the usual, I guess. What needs to be done. What we're going to do. How different things might be." He paused, sitting down on my cot with the sword in his hand. "I haven't been home in years."

I watched him without a word for a moment or so,and then I slowly walked up to him. "You must have gotten lonely at times."

Tamair smiled. "During the first few years of being in Italy was the worst. I didn't understand anybody, I didn't know the lands. I was lucky enough that I was able to find my fellow Assassin's. But even that took me years."

"Really?" I sat down on the bed next to him.

"Yes. Took me about two years to find Monteriggioni. You know that big symbol that they have at the stairs leading up to the courtyard? That was the sign that told me I had found my way."

"You sound persistent," I pointed out. "I would have given up within the first few months."

"Narina," Tamair started, "if there's something worth fighting for, you don't give up. Right? I'm sure you've had situations like that."

I remembered the months that Ezio and I spent searching for La Volpe, the years that it took to train in the Villa courtyard, how long we had been fighting for the Brotherhood. I shifted on the bed, folding my hands in my lap, while looking down at the floor. "I guess...I guess you're right."

"But there were some times when I wanted to just go back home," Tamair explained. "But I had learned a valuable lesson, and I wouldn't be where I am today without it."

I shifted my gaze from the floor to him, up into his honey-brown eyes. He was rubbing a cloth against his sword, cleaning it to make the edges gleam and sparkle."And what lesson is that?"

Tamair bent his head down towards mine so his breath could press into my face. Through a grin, he whispered "Business comes first. You deal with your wants later."

Remembering Ezio's similar code 'Business before pleasure', I replied "But what if what you want and Business is the same thing?"

Tamair started laughing all of a sudden, as if my words tickled him to the extreme. "My dear Narina, that is a _later_ lesson." He stood from the bed, giving a test swing of his sword, the blade slicing through the air, and then he turned back to me. "The Pleasureful-Business Lesson is one that you need to learn as well. And it'll probably be more comfortable on both of our parts after we spend some time together."

I couldn't help but blush at that for some reason. "W...what do you mean by _that_?"

"Don't worry about it." He placed the sword down on the bed again, and threw a grin back at me. "We'll deal with it when I get the 'oomph' enough to teach you."

One of my hands pressed up against my cheek. "Should I be worried."

"No." Tamair's grin vanished and he stretched out. "Look, being persistent is a very valuable skill as an Assassin. I'll have to teach you how to determine what needs to be done, to spot out what is necessary." He paused and turned to me fully. "How's your arm doing? I haven't looked at it for a few days."

"Oh!" I rolled up my left sleeve, making the material bunch about my shoulder. "It's still a big scab, but I think it's doing okay as far as not getting an infection."

Tamair moved to the side of the bed to unwrap the bandages himself, and I took the notion that he thought I couldn't do it myself. Despite his somewhat intimidating demeanor, Tamair was gentle; as least with me he was. His fingers would pull the bandages off with great care as if he were afraid I would break if he made one wrong move. There was something strange about it all, and the more I thought about it, the more strange it got. Tamair cared and worried about me more than Ezio, Mario, Claudia Maria—_anybody—_ever had. I'm not saying that he loved me more; that's a totally different subject. He cared about me like I was some special artifact that couldn't get a speck of dust upon it. And even though it should of bothered me that he treated me like a _thing_ instead of a person, I found it somewhat endearing.

* * *

The day finally came when Tamair walked into our cabin, interrupting me in my afternoon nap. I sat up in the cot groggily as I watched Tamair suit up in his armor that he hadn't worn for the most part of the trip.

His eyes landed on me. "We'll be stopping in Acre any moment now," he explained, pulling his hood over his face. "Get your things gathered." After yawning and stretching, I walked around the cabin, looking for anything that I might have left out, then I went up on deck again, following after Tamair, who kindly took the pack instead of making me drag it behind us.

Surprisingly, there were a lot of people getting off in Acre as well. And the land! I stared in wonderment at the port city, a dull gray color that seemed to be in serious need of joy. Although there could be trees seen in splotches throughout the city, you could see the sands beyond the town that stretched out into rolling hills. Oh, it all looked so warm, that sand! How I wanted to run and play in it, take it's warmth from them as if the high sun above us wasn't warm enough (which it was—it had me sweating already.)

Before the boat came to a complete stop in the port, Tamair pulled out the infamous blue cloth from one of his pockets and draped it over my head. When I gave him a saddened look he explained "It will keep you cool against the suns rays." The logic didn't make much sense to me, but, as he tied the knot under my chin, I began to understand what he was saying. The hot sun couldn't bounce off of my head and make me sweat from there. It was actually sort of comforting.

The boat finally stopped and Tamair took a hold of me from around my shoulders, making sure he didn't lose me in the face paced crowd pushing to get off of the boat. I stared in wide-eyed wonderment at everything I could look at: the people on the docks, the people in the town, the birds that circled in the sky, the guards that stood at the entry ways. I couldn't get enough of any of it.

"Not as beautiful as Italy," Tamair murmured to me, startling me and causing me to jump. "But it still has it's charms."

"Yes," I said with a small smile, turning back to gaze upon it all again. "It's definitely different."

All of the words that swarmed about me were so different; I couldn't understand any of them. Tamair, however, was able to catch onto a few of them, and he reacted to them differently. He had a light smile on his face, but his eyes were careful as if he were expecting danger. It must have been good to be home. I finally felt something twist inside of me, and I turned around to look back at the boat. It had been ten days on the boat—fourteen days since I had left Monteriggioni. They must have noticed that I was missing now. They would be looking for me, wouldn't they?And at this point, I felt horrible about that. I should have left a message with the thieves while I was in Venice, but the thought had never occurred to me. I felt the sudden urge to cry again, but I sucked it up and told myself that I had to be strong for both myself and Tamair.

The dark haired assassin led me through the town, making sure I was at his side by constantly throwing me looks. When he wasn't checking up on me though, I would catch him staring in wonderment just like me at the buildings about him, the people. I began to wonder what he had left Israel to be in; had it changed or was it all the same? I felt like it wasn't my place to ask him though, and I held my tongue. Just as Tamair had suggested before, we shopped for some food to replenish our supply. Even the food here was different than the food in Italy! Most of the food here though was fish, probably because Acre was a port town. There were different kinds of fruits that I had ever seen in any other market.

Once we bought our food, Tamair talking in his native tongue, he turned to me and nodded, suggesting that we head out now. When we approached the horse stables after walking out of the grand arch way that led into Acre, Tamair suddenly stopped and growled under his breath.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't have any money."

"What are you ta...oh, right," I trailed off, remembering the he was only semi-rich in Italy; being in a different country with different money did us no good. I sighed and already felt my feet aching. "Does that mean we have to walk?" Tamair saw my discomfort at the thought and he slowly shook his head.

"No." He handed me our pack of things and food. "Hold this and wait here."

I stood aside and watched as Tamair walked up to the stables, all the horses nickering loudly at him, making the man who ran the whole thing look up at the assassin. I wasn't exactly sure what Tamair said to the man, but judging from the look on the guys face, I take it that it wasn't any good. The man's eyes widened and his face went pale. Then he nodded vigorously, holding up his hands shakily.

Tamair approached me with two horses in tow, a broad smirk that peeped out from under his hood.

"What did you do?" I asked as he handed me the reigns to one of the horses.

"Don't worry about it." He took a hold of our packs and heaved them up onto the horse. "We've got the horses, right?"

I waited until he was done strapping on our things. "Tamair, how long will it take us to get to Jerusalem?"

He glanced up at me. "Two days. Maybe three. Depends on how smoothly we travel."

"It will take that long?"

"We've got a lot of land to cover," he grunted, pulling himself up into the saddle of his horse. "I suggest we get moving before the guards come and see that we've stolen some horses."

Sighing, I too climbed up onto my horse, shifted around a bit then pulled the cloth down over my eyes. I waited until Tamair took the lead and then followed up down the path that led up out of Acre.

* * *

I never could have prepared myself for the heat of the deserts.

I thought the summer days in Italy were bad—psh, Israel was ten times worse. I'm pretty sure I have never sweated so much in my entire life. The night of the first day, Tamair stopping us and creating a warm fire for us to rest next to, I complained up until the moment I passed out from exhaustion. The next day was much the same, getting up at the crack of dawn to being the sweaty and much too hot day all over again. There was nothing really exciting to see, aside from the occasional village that popped up. And the sand; I had thought I'd love it, but after you have the grains in your clothes, in your eyes, in every little crack it could fit, you soon grew tired of the stuff. And it's warmth was no comfort what-so-ever. And the days just seemed to drag on forever! I could only busy myself with bugging Tamair more, asking him unnecessary questions. In the end, I was glad that Tamair had me get used to the cloth over my head because it really did help with keeping me cool.

During the beginning of the evening of the second day, we rounded a curve on the path around a mountain and I took in with large eyes a grand city with a great amount of buildings squished together.

"Oh my-! Tamair!" I gasped. "Is this Jerusalem?" The city looked so much warmer than Acre had—I might have been because of the warm tiles that spotted some of the roofs along the city.

Tamair looked back at me, the wear of having to deal with me for the past few days clear in his eyes. "Yes. Welcome to Jerusalem."

* * *

_July 13__th__, 1480_

"Take another look through the city again," Ezio heard Ugo say when he walked into the courtyard. "Make sure you take a good look at all the people and things too. She could be anywhere."

"Ugo," Ezio greeted after the young thief watched his men take off down the streets.

"Ezio, have you any news?" Ugo wondered, turning towards the young man.

Ezio sadly shook his head. "I've seen no sign of her." Ezio turned and stared out at the streets. "From the looks of the horse, too, it looked like they were attacked with weapons. The hoofs of the horse were cut clean off."

"Do you think she made it out of that?"

"She obviously had," Ezio said, rubbing his head. "There's no sign of struggle and no human blood to be seen in the area."

Ugo fell silent and stared at Ezio for a moment. "Ezio, it's been about a month. I don't think—."

"_I _think that we need to look more," Ezio interrupted. "There's more of Italy to search, Ugo. I won't stop until I know where she is."

Ugo sighed, nodded and followed after his men on the street.

Ezio made sure Ugo was out of sight before he let out his breath, the sound unsteady and shaky.

* * *

_August 21__st__, 1480_

It seemed like the sixth time Ezio searched through the forest, but with help of Mario's men and a few of Caterina's soldiers searching the trees, he felt as though this was the time he'd find something.

The thieves have been searching Venice for months. La Volpe and Paola kept their eyes out on Florence. Lorenzo de'Medici sent out some of his men to other towns in Italy, searching out the districts that Ezio hadn't the time to get to before. The few of Mario's men that weren't helping with the forest had been sent to search out the border cities to make sure Narina wasn't there.

Sweating, Ezio breathed heavily and trudged through the trees, brushing aside the branches. It had seemed so long since he had seen his little Narina. He would settle for her angry tone and upset face right now. Anything that proved she was alive.

"Ser Ezio! Ser Ezio!"

Snapping his head around, Ezio watched as one of Mario's men ran up to him, the man broke out in a sweat, his eyes filled with a form of fear.

"What is it?"

"Shoes! W-we found shoes!"

Quickly, Ezio followed after the young lad, weaving through the trees with ease. Oh God, a sign of Narina! How many months Ezio had been waiting for this! They returned back to the path and run up a little bit into the mountains, and in a small, round clearing, the boy veered off of the path to the left. "They are over here, _signore_!"

Ezio pushed ahead of the boy, almost breaking off into a full sprint but he was stopped by the wide river that spread out before him. A group of men were spread out all about the small clearing. Now impatient, Ezio spun around and glared at the boy.

"Signore," the boy whispered, his finger pointing near the bank. "They're there."

Ezio snapped his head down to his feet, and indeed he spotted the worn, wet, and faded red slippers. Although he hadn't paid attention to Narina's feet during the party, the size was for sure the same length of the feet that had once before pressed into his calves.

"She must have fallen into the water," one of the men said. "Stuck her feet in to rest and fallen in."

"Check the river edges now!" Ezio demanded. "Follow it through the forest and try to find her!" Most of the men ran off along the edge of the river, there eyes on the rushing water.

But one of them stayed behind and stared at Ezio solemnly. "Ezio, ser... I thought Narina couldn't swim?"

Ezio stared at the man for a moment, then swiftly looked back down at the slippers, stooping over to pick them up. Squeezing them in his grasp Ezio growled, "She can't." Then he turned and began to stalk down the edge of the river.

* * *

_**Year Two**_

**Lesson Two:To be Precise is Key**

Tamair lived in the southern part of the city, in a small building that his family had lived in before. The place hadn't been touched in fourteen long years, so moving in took some...time. Everything was dusty and broken, the place obviously had been ran-sacked. I found Tamair lost in thought sometimes when he'd stare about the house, as if living in his memories.

At first, living away from home was hard. I found myself wanting to go back more often than not during the first few months. I'd lie awake at night in the straw filled bed that Tamair made for me the day we got there, staring out the window with cracked glass up at the stars, and sometimes I'd idly wonder if Ezio was also staring at the same stars. I wasn't going to lie—I missed him. But there was nothing I could do about it now.

During the first few months, since I was so homesick, Tamair just worked with me on uncovering some documents throughout the city. Most of the ones that we found were located around the house, places Tamair's father had hidden them before. With great care and patient words, Tamair taught me how to decipher some codes in the papers so that he could read them (since they were in Arabic.) It gave me something to think about aside from Italy and Ezio. I'm not sure how he pulled it off, but Tamair always had something for me to do.

The culture in this new land was something that I never really got the hang of. The women couldn't speak out of line, always had to be covered up. That was sort of a pain, too, considering that I was the loud-mouth type of person. And what's more is that I couldn't understand anybody except for the few times Tamair took the time to talk to me in Italian. I probably could have picked up on the language using the context in the way people would speak, but I never wanted to take the time to do that. According to Tamair, he said it would probably just be easier for him to do all the talking anyways.

Learning the lesson about business was easy, but it took the rest of the year. It was weird to consider that, during the winter, it didn't get all that much colder. Throughout the next January and February, though, Tamair chose to wrap up my first lesson about the business part and to move on to training me properly.

We climbed up onto the house roof one day when the sun was shrouded by clouds, making the day surprisingly warmer. The desert winter was close to ending, but we were getting still slight chilled days.

"Weapons such as sharp objects and heavy hits won't do you any good," Tamair said. "You can't kill anybody, so what is the use of swinging something about that you can't control?"

I frowned at that. "I'm not sure if I should take that as an insult or not."

Tamair only shrugged, grinning at me. "You need a weapon that won't kill, but strong enough to defend yourself. You need to use your body as your weapon."

"So, what? Am I supposed to dance my way to victory or something?"

A deep chuckle rumbled through Tamair's lips. "No. But in a way, yes."

I felt my shoulders slump down. "Well, great. Put me in some tights and a tutu; I'm ready."

Laughing, Tamair rolled his eyes at me, and even though I was confused with my words at the moment, he didn't even seemed to be bothered by them. "You're much too dramatic, Narina. I'll show you what I can teach you to do." He didn't give me much of a warning other than that. He simply just walked up to me, bright smile and everything, and then he pinched the base of my neck, the muscle between my shoulder and neck, and the pain that shot through me was immense. I dropped down to the roof, crying out in pain.

I snapped my head up at Tamair. "What the...what are...? What did you just do!" Just as soon as my power was taken away from me, it all came back and I immediately stood on my feet.

Tamair was still smiling softly. "Pressure Points are going to be your weapon, Narina. You can knock down the toughest opponent with a slightest pinch."

I rubbed at my neck, where it was starting to hurt. "Ow...that really hurt!"

"It's supposed to." Tamair reached up and pressed his fingers to a spot on my jaw line, and the same pressure of pain shot through me, only I ripped away before he could press harder.

"Stop it!" I whined, using my hands to cover my neck area. "Can't you just _tell _me where they are instead of showing me? I don't like pain."

"Most people don't, Narina." Tamair shook his head at me. "Besides, you'll learn better if I show you."

"No! No, no, no, no!" I ran away from his hand that was stretched out towards me again. Not wanting to go through the pain again, I jumped from the roof onto the one next door, and stared back at Tamair, who was laughing in a mocking way.

"Look at you coward away! What have they been teaching you over in Italy? How to run away and make everyone else fight your battles?"

That was a low blow, but I knew he was right. "Look, can't we just go about this another way? I mean, this 'hurting-Narina' method we're using really isn't going to be effective."

Tamair rolled his eyes, but shrugged. "Fine. I'll just tell you where these points are, then you can try them out on me."

I raised my brows at him. "You're willing to put yourself up as a target?"

He grinned. "You don't know what you're doing just yet; of course I'm going to let you test it out on me."

Tamair gave me a list of where these pressure points were on the body, him lightly pressing one finger to where the point was. At first, I would flinch away from his touch, worried about the pain that I thought for sure would follow, but Tamair would prove to be kind to me, his touch gentle and even somewhat comforting like he was telling me to trust him. As promised, Tamair let me try out some pinches on his neck, his wrists, let me squeeze his knees to try and get the one there. Like he had said, I didn't know what I was doing, and the only one that I could get enough to make him lightly flinch under my touch was the one on his neck, which was the easiest one, according to him.

"We'll spend some time working with these points. Our goal is that it'll almost be a second nature to know where they are. You won't even have to think twice about where you're pressing your fingers."

I nodded, but I was truthfully a little skeptical about how this pressure point thing would work. "How long do you think it will take to learn it to that degree?"

Tamair shrugged. "However long you want it to take." The young man held up a finger towards me. "But do not be mistaken, Narina. You can kill someone with this points. Well, obviously, you can't, but you can use this method of attack because you can control it. Understand?"

Slowly at first then more steady, I nodded. "Yes."

"Keep this in mind, Narina: to be precise is key." He gestured with his head to follow him down off of the building. "Let's go back inside. I'm getting hungry."

I felt my face light up at the mention of food. "Me too!" Before Tamair could drop down off of the roof, I ran up behind him and squeezed at his neck, giggling under my breath as his knees slightly buckled under him. I dropped down before he could and ran into the house, knowing that he'd get revenge on me in ten fold sometime later.

* * *

When spring time rolled around, the humidity sky-rocketing, Tamair took the liberty to teach me how to properly predict an enemies actions and then dodge them so I could find an opening to use my new-found 'pressure point' skills. I was still learning how to be more precise on my pinches, but it was a lot of hard work, and I couldn't help but feel bad since I had to test them all out on Tamair. Before long, his dark skin was bruised from my tweaks and I always apologized for them.

This particular day, we were outside of the city, hidden by a broken wall out in the sand about 20 feet away from the city walls. I was all suited up in the clothes I had gotten from Italy—but I normally had to wear a dress around the town because Tamair said I would raise too much suspicion if I wore man clothes around. Tamair, on the other hand, was without armor, but still in his assassin robes. Whenever we would train, the would be down, but in any other case aside from being in the safety of his home, Tamair would be wearing the hood.

"You have to be elusive and aloof," Tamair told me one day, swinging at me with a stick so I could practice some dodging techniques he had shown me. "Make sure your own intentions are not clear while you are judging your enemy's." With a vertical swing of the stick, I twisted on my left heel, sending me around to Tamair's side while I simultaneously tried to press the pressure point in the exposed nook of his under arm. Tamair took a hold of my pressing hand and twisted it up in the air, the stick dropping to the ground while I was uncomfortably twisted up against Tamair's side.

"Nice try," he said sincerely, "but I'm afraid that won't do."

I huffed loudly. "Man, this is a lot harder than I thought it would be!"

"You're still off a little bit on the point," Tamair said, letting me go. "I think we need to do some more practices on the pressure."

Groaning, I hunched over with my hands on my knees. "Right, right..." I looked back up at him. "How was my dodge?"

Tamair rolled his head, his neck popping a few times, then he rubbed at his stubbly face, a grin upon his lips. "_Vicino alla perfezione_ (Near perfection)," he said. "You learn quick. I'm surprised."

I smiled proudly, opened my mouth to thank Tamair, but then he quickly approached me, pulling out a cloth from his pouch and hung it over my head. "Let's get back to the town," he hummed. "There are some documents that are in dire need of being looked upon."

I closed my mouth. "Okay, fine."

The gist of the information that we had gotten out of the documents Tamair's father had left behind was that the order had indeed been relocated to mostly Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and England. There was some more information on the origin of the new found Brotherhood, but there was only one small entry on that, and all that it said was stuff that we both knew—the new Order was started during the end of the crusades. Most of what we uncovered was useless information, records of the movement of the order across the lands. Not that _that_ wasn't important, but it was stuff that we weren't exactly looking for.

* * *

When summer broke through with heated fury, I asked Tamair to teach me how to swim, considering that I had never gotten around to actually learning how to from Ezio. He told me he would whenever we would go to Acre again or any place near the sea, he would teach me then. And since it was summer, Tamair told me we would be traveling around a bit.

"I want to follow in Altair's footsteps," he said. "He went between Jerusalem, Acre, Damascus, and Masyaf, and I know that if I go between them, I'll find something valuable."

I lounged back in a chair in the small dining area in the front room. "Sounds like it'll take a long while."

"It probably will." Tamair then threw me a small scroll that landed in my lap. "Here's another thing that needs a little decoding. Have fun with it."

I wasn't going to lie; at first, I really regretting going with Tamair. The new lands, the new culture, the new rules were all too different for me—I couldn't handle it. And when we started to look at the documents, I was almost sure that it was all gibberish and that none of it could possibly help out Ezio back in Italy. I was glad, though, that I was wrong, and after a few months of living in the small home with Tamair, I began to realize just how much all of it would help out the Brotherhood.

* * *

_March 6__th__, 1481_

The spring air in Florence brushed up into Ezio's hood, tickling along his skin. Although the touch should have been comforting, he frowned at it's touch and turned his head away from the breeze, to look down on the Florence streets. The search had to be held off during the winter months, but Ezio still searched in what little way he could. Even though it was a warm winter, many of his search party had grown tired of looking for the brown haired girl that had slipped through Ezio's fingers. Now that it was spring again, Ezio once again gathered a small search party and insisted that they search out the lands again.

The man didn't know why he was so persistent of finding this woman. It had been ten months and there hadn't been any sign of her anywhere. Besides the shoes. The shoes are what made everyone slowly start losing hope.

However, Ezio didn't give up so easily. Sure, he found the shoes, but there had yet to be a body found. If Narina was to be dead, there would be a body, right?

But no. No! She isn't dead! He told himself so many times that he believed it. He tuned out Ugo's words, the others who tried to convince the Assassin that the blue-eyed beauty was someplace that _no one_ could find her. Because he _would_ find her. He'd find her _alive_. He'd bring her back home.

* * *

_July 23__rd__, 1481_

"Ezio?"

The young assassin sat up stiffly, jerking his head away from his head that had rubbed at his forehead. His mother stood in the door, staring quietly at him.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, Mother?"

Maria quietly walked into the room, her foot steps treading lightly on the floor. "My son, you do not look so well. Haven't you eaten today?"

Sighing, Ezio rubbed his eyes again and leaned back against his hand. "No. I must have lost track of time."

"Perhaps you need to take a break, then?" Maria stood beside her son, reaching out and resting her hand upon his shoulder. "You've been sitting in here all day."

"I'll come out in a bit and get something to eat," Ezio whispered. "I want to stay in here for a while longer."

Maria let her hand cup Ezio's cheek, and pulled it up so he looked up at her. "My son, have I not taught you that when you try to force something, you lose a hold of it?" Ezio didn't respond, adverting his eyes to the side as if he found something interesting upon the wall. "If you want to cherish it, then give it some rest." Maria dropped her hand and went back to the door. "Come and get something to eat quickly, Ezio." She left the room, closing the door behind her.

There was a long moment when Ezio didn't even move, his eyes still locked on the spot on the wall. Then, finally, he sighed, rubbed at his face again, and laid back on the bed that he was sitting upon, letting his fingers run across the bed spread as if he were trying to find some warmth there. And even though he knew his mother was right, he couldn't help but slip back into his memories, to relive them once more.

And even sitting in Narina's room all day didn't change the fact that it was getting harder and harder for Ezio to remember what Narina's voice sounded like. As much as he tried not to otherwise, he was starting to lose hold of her. And he knew that it would only be a matter of time until he couldn't even imagine her smile that he loved.

He had to find her.

* * *

**Well, I must say that that's all for now, folks! (And in all good truths, just going to be honest here: I HATE this chapter. There I said it. *hides in the corner of shame *)**

**And for the 2nd year layout—I know it was rushed. It was meant to be. And I must apologize that it had to be that way, but, well...shit happens, right? Truthfully, there's just not anything to really talk about in the 2nd year, unless all of you wanted me to go off about Narina staring at papers all day long.  
And as for the traveling part of the 2nd year that I mentioned: I'll explain that briefly in the 3rd year—at least, before I go into the details of the 3rd year. How I'm doing this is confusing even to me, my readers.**

**The pressure points—GOD I love using them on my friends. :3 They'll just innocently be standing there, minding their own business then BAM!-Here come's Emily with a swooping eagle attack on their necks. Although I haven't dropped anyone yet, I do get a lot of cries. :3 I'm so sadistic.**  
**Oh! And I asked around for this answer, and since I'm too lazy to really go into deep research about it—what is the currency in Jerusalem? I must say, _that_ one stumped me!**

**And I really hope you all can warm up to Tamair. :3 It'll probably make things go a little smoother in the next chapter. *sly smirk ***

**Thank you for all the support, my dears! :3  
Please review!**

**(And Happy New Years. :3 Go 2011! Any Resolutions that you want to share?)**

**A big special thanks to my Beta, kittenbell! :3**


	30. The Four Lessons Part 2

**-Just one more chapter and then we're back to Ezio. :3 Excited?  
-I watched Tangled. Is it just me, or does Flynn "Eugene" Rider look an awful lot like Ezio Auditore da Firenze? Perhaps it's just me.  
-This chapter...**_is looooooong_. **There was a lot to put into it...so I'm sorry. :S And Honestly, most of you will **probably** hate it. :C Sorry. There's a lot of information here, some of it pretty much useless, but a lot of it important.**

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"_If there is one thing we have learned from history, it is that there always will be war. There always has been."_  
-Jerry Mower, my American History Teacher.

* * *

**Chapter 29-The Four Lessons (Part 2)**

_**Year Three**_

**Lesson Three: How to be a Woman**

Before Tamair would let me travel around Israel and Syria, he told me that I'd have to learn how to be a woman first. At first, I thought he was joking and just rolled my eyes at him. When he brought it up again, however, I was completely appalled. Wasn't I lady-like enough already? Well, apparently not, according to Tamair. It was a good thing Tamair taught me the first lesson or else I wouldn't have even considered letting him try to convert me to a tea sipping sissy.

Much to my surprise, he was teaching me a lesson that would have me be the exact opposite of a tea sipping sissy. We never got around to traveling in the second year due to the fact that Tamair still felt as though I was unprepared for it.

Continuing to practice my pressure points and also my dodging skills, Tamair would pull me aside every so often when I sat alone in the small little room that I had in his house and take me down into the common room with a warm hearth to heat up my skin. There, he taught me how to be subtle, but how to stick up for myself without exclaiming out or pinning the blame on someone else. In a way to explain it better, he taught me how to _act_ like a mysterious Assassin or a woman who didn't pay any mind to any one else.

Have I described what Jerusalem was like? No?  
It's a beautiful and vast city. Although it seemed like a dull town at first, once you took the time to actually look at the buildings and designs put into the town, the way everything just seemed to piece together like it was all some big puzzle ready to be pushed together, it was quite a breath-taking sight. On closer inspection, I found that the buildings did not only have that odd yellow tinge to them, but also a more warm, subtle earth color that dusted the streets and roofs, bringing the city alive with it's touch. That life that was brought to the vastness must have explained how busy the streets always seemed to be, no matter how hot or cold the weather may be. I hadn't appreciated the beauty at first, and I hadn't really any time to admire it considering the fact that Tamair kept me locked away like I was some disease threatening the entire world. But, he was doing it all for a good cause, and I believe a thank you wouldn't be enough to repay him for doing that as such.

* * *

During the first month of the summer, I walked through Jerusalem streets, dressed in a very dingy manner with the now slightly ragged and ripped blue cloth draped over my head, my hair pulled back away from my face in a low ponytail at the base of my neck. It was strange because I really had never interacted with anyone throughout the entire three years that I had been there. Tamair usually went to do the town errands; I had to stay back at the house and clean and take care of things there. Like cooking. I had never had to cook before, and, at first, it was a failure. Anyway, I had been sent into town for the first time in forever to go and receive a document that Tamair told me about in a building that had been abandoned not too long ago; he had taken note that the documents were in the building years before but the innocent people that lived in the building prevented him from ever breaking in to retrieve what he needed.

It was in our best hope that the documents had been left behind unknowingly, considering the fact that the earlier occupants didn't know that they resided inside, in a chest within a hidden nook in one of the walls. If they weren't, it was just something else that we would have to live without.

Before I could get to the house in the corner of the town, I was faced with a certain dilemma.

Somehow, despite being trained for years and years by highly trained assassin's, I managed to trip over my own feet with a mixture of my skirts and ended up on the ground. I laid upon the ground with a gruff look upon my face as I could hear the whispers of the people around me and their eyes upon me. I didn't need to understand their words to know that they were poking fun at me; it was obvious in their tone. I stood up with whatever dignity I still held, brushing off my skirts gruffly, trying to keep my gaze off of the small crowd that had gathered about me.

Tamair had taught me: _be indifferent. Keep your eyes to yourself or shroud them in shadows._

I did exactly that; as I brushed myself off, I kept my eyes down on the ground and continued walking, realizing that I had scuffed up my hand a bit, and I closed both my fist and eyes against the acute pain. It all happened so sudden—I was ripped from my constant, slow pace, pulled aside roughly, and then I was faced with a scruffy man with the stench of ale, whiskey or wine upon his breath.

His words were slurred and his grip was rough. Although I had been told to do otherwise, I couldn't help but stare at the man with wide, confused eyes. He was older than Tamair and Ezio, but still young enough to have the youthful spark about him. His torso was loosely in a drab cloth, the ribs seen poking gently through his kin.

My lessons finally kicking in, I looked away, shaking my head and giving a harsh tug against the man's hold.

Another thing Tamair taught me: _be distant but firm. Don't let whoever you are facing think you are weak. Tell __them no quietly with a shake of your head, but bear a vigorous decline in body language._

Surprisingly, the drunken man had a stronger hold than I anticipated and he gripped onto me once again, his breath falling against my face, making me suddenly nauseous. When I tried to pull away again, a dreading feeling of terror rising within me, I felt the man's fingers thread into my hair. Just great! My cloth (which I had actually started to really like) fell off when I had tripped. Before, I had never really considered Tamair 'telling-the-whole-truth' when he had said women who didn't cover up were raped.

One thing Tamair should have taught me more: _stay covered, idiot! You're a woman and men are fuck-sticks._

It was strange how fast my energy drained from me, and how quickly I found myself on the ground in an alleyway, the man breathing heavily above me, my wrists in his hands.

The panic now flooding me, I started to wriggle in his hold, my voice squeaking out when I felt my legs being pinned by his, now trapped within my skirts. All that Tamair taught me for the years before left me in a flash, and I screamed out _"No! Ti prego! Basta__!__"_

The foreign words that had spewed from my mouth must have confused the man briefly, because he stopped and stared at me with a blank look upon his face.

It was ironic how Tamair had told me that speaking out lout in Italian would doom me, but, at that moment, it had saved me. Tamair must have been wandering around the markets when he heard my scream.

When I think back on it, I found it sad that I saw the man's death before he did. One moment, there he was, pinning me down to the ground with his rather disgusting lips pressed against my neck with his tongue running over my skin, and in the next moment, he was cast in a shadow, then thrown aside, soon laying in a pool of his own blood that gushed from his impaled torso.

There was a moment where I was riddled with a overwhelming feeling of helplessness in the moment that I stared at the dying man's last gasp of air. Death never ceased to befuddle me, leaving me in a sense of wonderment when I thought of the way that I had never truly felt it's hold.

Tamair's gentle fingers pressing against my skin brought me out of my bemused state.

"Narina?" He whispered. "Are you okay?"

No answer fled from my mouth, but a slow nod rocked my head up and down. Tamair, with a relieved gleam in his eyes, quickly looked back to the mouth of the empty alleyway, then back to the drunk man on the ground. "We need to get out of here," he huffed, reaching down and bringing me up into his arms.

As Tamair threw me over his shoulder and started to carry both of us up the nearest building, I frowned at the thought of how it was possible for men to carry such a burden like myself over their shoulders while having to clear obstacles to get us both safe. I didn't like the idea of Tamair babying me so much, but, for just the moment, I felt as though I needed comfort. I needed it _now_.

So once we were upon the building's roof, Tamair stopping for a moment to catch his breath, I violently jerked about in his arms until he let me down on my feet. The reality crept up behind me, the reality of that I had almost just been raped within only about a minute without my head covering and that I had just caused another man to die. My knees fell out from under me and for the first time in years, I started to cry.

Tamair was a jack-ass, but unlike Ezio, he was more subtle about it. He never showed his more inner emotions at first, although during the third year he had slightly warmed more up to me and told me a few thing about him. Despite being mostly a loner for most of his life after his parents died, Tamair was a very sociable person. He loved to pull practical jokes on me and crack jokes all the time (whenever he wasn't being serious, that is.) The young assassin even told me that he had practiced to be a bard once, but that had been a long, _long_ time ago. Since he had become accustomed to me and even considered me a friend, he told me a few mysteries about him that weren't really worth keeping secret in my eyes. First of all, he was more than just an Assassin. He worked as a guardian. According to him, when Altair and Malik had started the new order, Malik's family was endowed with the task of making sure the Power of Eden never went with misuse again. He told me the Creed; that 'Nothing is True. Everything is permitted,' which led to him telling me that there were only a few people in the entire world that I should trust. It shocked me when he said that neither him nor Ezio, nor anyone that I had met before, should be trusted. When I asked him why, he only smiled lopsidedly, which told me that I wouldn't get the answer from him. Overall, Tamair was a composed guy that usually kept to himself.

And this is why it surprised me when, as I had a break down upon that roof, Tamair knelt down before me and pulled me into his hold, his arms insuring that I was safe, that I was protected. Just like that, I knew that Tamair's intentions, although still slightly clouded, were true. I knew that he meant me no harm. And although it was his job to protect the Pieces of Eden, I felt as though he was my guardian as well.

It's funny how things work out like that, isn't it?

* * *

I'm not sure if it was because of the whole 'Narina-almost-getting-raped' thing, but Tamair suddenly decided that it was time to leave Jerusalem after about a week after the situation. We had spent a good portion of the days of that previous week looking over the one page of information that we had found in the house in the city, but even when we were able to read through the faded words upon the paper, it wasn't anything of great relevance. All it really said was something about how much the prices of food in the town had went up—a document that had been written by, what Tamair guessed, one of the new recruits that was brought into the order during the later years.

"We've suckled upon the breast of Jerusalem long enough," Tamair explained the morning he told me we were leaving. "We'll have better luck to feed on other bustling cities."

I noisily chewed on the bread and dried meat Tamair had set out for me. "Wow, thanks for that visual."

Tamair reached across the table to press his finger against my nose. "Keep that visual in mind; we leave tomorrow and I need you to be open minded for me."

Knowing that the young Assassin was quite impulsive and I had to deal with it for years before, I only stared at Tamair with a small look of 'are you serious?'.

With a small smile and a charming wink, Tamair finished off what was left of his breakfast, told me that he'd be back soon and left for the market. Frowning, I sighed and leaned back in the chair, staring outside the window with a far away look in my eyes.

There were many moment just like then that I wanted to go back home, back to Italy. I felt as though things would be so much more simpler if I just went back with Ezio and played the childish games all day just like I used to. I didn't like the idea of having to take responsibility and scour the lands for information that might not even be helpful or be something that we may already know. But of course, it would be worth it if it was something that turned out to be extremely helpful, something that could change the way of the order forever. Or even better; finding a document that talked about the pieces of Eden and their location. Tamair had explained to me that the goal of the Assassin order was to keep the pieces of Eden from hands that would wrong with the power of Eden within. When I told him that I hadn't even heard a thing when I was in Italy, the young Assassin only smiled lightly and said that the truth had been lost throughout the years and that was why I was helping Tamair out.

Years had passed, and I could safely say that there hadn't been anything uncovered that would be extravagant enough to change the shift of the Assassin's Creed cause. But we had only searched throughout the vast city of Jerusalem. There was much more land that could be covered.

With a short and subtle huff, I pushed up off of the chair and went to go pack what little of things that I had to take along with me. I had a feeling that the next few days would be very difficult.

* * *

I knew that I wouldn't get much sleep that night, but I didn't expect Tamair to wake me up hours before the sun would come up.

I had to take a moment to lie in my bed, staring at the man who was just running his mouth at me in words I didn't understand (even though they _were_ in Italian.) He must have noticed that there was no comprehension in my gaze because he stopped and stared at me quietly for a moment while I reached up and rubbed at my eyes. Apparently getting impatient with my slow waking up tactics, Tamair brushed my hands aside and started to lightly tap my head with his finger tips, blowing his breath into my face, making me flinch back from the warmth.

"Wake up now, sleepy head," Tamair said with a kidding voice. "We head out now."

"But it's so early!" I whined, reaching up and pressing my palm against his lips, making him stop blowing on me. "Can't we just leave in the morning?"

"It'll be really hot during the day," Tamair pointed out, his words muffled by my hand. He reached up and took a hold of my wrist, pulling my hand away. "Besides, the earlier we leave, the earlier we get to Acre."

"Tamair,"I whined, trying my last tactic to get him to give into letting me sleep some more.

"If you want," he offered, "you could ride on a horse with me and you can sleep on the way."

It was tempting, but I shook my head. "Then I'd have to ride with you the whole way there. That's not exactly ideal."

"We can take another horse in tow," Tamair explained. "Then, when you are awake enough, you can ride your own horse."

"I promise I won't fall asleep though," I whined softly.

Tamair frowned disapprovingly. "Narina, never make promises you cannot keep."

Normally, I would have declined considering that sleeping on a horse with a man would require being very close to one another. But, considering that Tamair had never taken a move on me and also that I knew him very well now, well enough to consider him a very close friend, I convinced myself that it really wasn't such a big deal.

"Fine," I whispered, letting my hand go limp in his hold. "Let me grab my stuff."

"Already done." Tamair gently helped me out of the bed, then let me sway quietly back and forth while he sloppily made the bed. "We just need to go now, okay?"

Like I was a small child, Tamair led me out of the house and down the dark, almost deserted streets of Jerusalem, with my left hand in his right, my free hand in a fist against my eye, trying to rub away the need to collapse and sleep. I had never considered Jerusalem my home, even after years of living there, so I felt no need to have to gaze at the buildings as though I was saying goodbye. Instead, I kept my grip firmly with Tamair's and my eyes closed against the chilly night air.

When we got to the stables, Tamair tied the reigns of the second horse to the saddle horn before he pulled himself up into the black horse's saddle. Then, reaching back down to me, taking a hold of me by my underarms like I really was a child, he lifted me up into the saddle in front of him, which was...not what I was expecting. I was expecting him to set me behind me so that I could lean up against him. When I shifted about uncomfortably, Tamair took a hold of the reigns, his arms around me. "This way, if you start to fall off, I can catch you easily," he explained, answering my unspoken concern, then waited until I relaxed back against him. I felt the rock of the horse under me for only a few seconds before I fell back into sleep.

* * *

The days that it took to get to Acre passed by, which were filled with long, hot, sweaty horse rides, a few breaks which were used to go through our fighting techniques, and chilled nights on the ground around a small fire that flicked sparks up into the night sky.

When we arrived to Acre in the noon hour, Tamair led me into the city gates, making me pose as his wife who shadowed after him in his shadow. We went to an Inn in the main part of town, bought a room there, and from there, Tamair led me to the roof-tops. I followed him quickly and swiftly, sensing the air of duty about him. When we climbed to the near middle of town. Tamair paused on the edge of the roof, his eyes scanning the buildings around him. "Where is it...?" he mumbled, intently studying the rooftops with eyes shadowed by his hood.

"Where is what?" I wondered, gazing around as well.

Tamair looked at me."You tell me. Help me look. I told you before that you had talents, right? Well, now it's time to let them shine. Look for the Bureau."  
"The what now?" I was thoroughly confused.

Tamair waved me off with a flick of his hand. "You'll know it when you see it."

Since, in actuality, I didn't know what I was looking for, I just looked over the city with Tamair, pretending like I was intent on finding whatever we were looking for. We spent what seemed like two minutes just staring out at the buildings when suddenly, something flashed in my mind and I felt suddenly light-headed. In my minds eye, I was running across the roof tops, laughing under my breath, around a tall pillar, over the gap above the street, swinging down onto a lower building with a crisscrossed grate, and then...Gasping, I snapped my head up, and almost as if it where instinct, I turned my head to the left, my eyes locking on a pillar on a building not to far away.

"There," I said in a low whisper. "The building is over there."

With a grin, Tamair let his hand curve around the back of my skull. "There. See? I told you that you had specialties."

"I have a question," I whispered, still staring at the pillar with a far-away feeling about me. "How is it that you knew that when I didn't?"

"I'll explain later. Let's get inside the Bureau."

When we got to the rooftop of the building that I had pointed out, the entire roof was blocked off with the grate that I had seen in my mind before hand. Right as I was about to say that it looked like there was no way of getting inside of the building, a room down below lit up dimly with the light that poured through the ivied square patterns; Tamair pulled out a small dagger and knelt down on the grate, sticking the knife into a small crevice at the edge of the wooden square at one edge of the grate. He continued to pick around at it, and just as I was about to ask what he was doing, he stood suddenly and lifted his leg, bringing his heel back down against the grater with intense force. It shocked me when the wooden rimmed square suddenly gave out and collapsed down into the room, the wood splintering and dust erupting into the air.

As the dust settled, both Tamair and I stared down into the now messy room with silence between us. Then, with a turn of his head, he threw a smile at me. "Shall we?" He dropped down into the room first, landing on the broken grater, then moving aside so I could follow down. Something about the whole process was vaguely familiar, but I decided not to think too hard about it and I dropped down into the room after Tamair.

The room was dusty and dirty; it obviously hadn't been touched in years. Every surface that was left in the small area was covered in a layer of dust. Tamair let me stare around the room for a moment as he walked into a nearly blocked door, having to push at a few boards that were lazily and guarding the entryway poorly. After he had knocked down the boards, he walked into the room and I slowly followed after him, walking into a dark room. Tamair had melted into the darkness, so when he suddenly appeared again, a candle in his hand,it made me jump slightly in surprise.

He smiled at my small reaction and held the candle out to me. "Here, hold this. I'll try to get a flame going so we can see." As I held the candle, Tamair got into his pouches and pulled out his flint, squatting down to the ground to gather up bits of torn paper and shattered wood on the floor to try and get a flame going. When the candle was lit, the light embraced the entire vicinity, revealing the ancient room that had almost been long forgotten. Tamair reached over to take the candle out of my hand and he took it over to a candle holder hanging lopsidedly off of the wall.

What a mess the room was! Books were everywhere, papers scattered on the floor. A long table cut the room in half, and behind that looked to be grand bookshelves with only a few scrolls and books sitting upon the shelves with, what I am sure, a thin layer of dust upon it.

I was in awe, in any case. "Why would they lock away so much information?"

"To hide it, of course." Tamair walked over to the shelves and pulled out a book, allowing the dusty covers to rest against his palm and fingers as he balanced it by it's spine in his hold.

Before I could start poking around the room myself, Tamair's face broke into a grin. "Of course they'd hide things like this."

"What is it?" I walked over to him, staring at the pages with foreign words scrawled upon it. "What does it say?"

Tamair closed the book with a squeeze of his fingers, and a strange look was set upon his face as he stared at all the other books.

"These hold records of the Pieces of Eden."

"The Pieces of Eden?" I looked around the room, more astonished. This is what we had been looking for! For three years, we had been looking for this exactly! "_All_ of these documents are about the Pieces of Eden?"

"There is only one way to figure out," Tamair said, placing the book back upon the shelf.

Although I couldn't read the papers, I still helped Tamair pick books and scrolls, blowing and rubbing away the dust on the old papers. Before, I had thought that Tamair couldn't be amazed by his legacy, considering that he pretty much knew everything about it, but he read the documents with wide and interested eyes.

We spent all day in the Bureau, staring at masses of books and papers, Tamair only reading to me in fast mumbles in Arabic, as though in the excitement he forgot to speak to me in Italian.

Finally, after hours of listening to him speak in his native tongue, I stopped him and looked into his eyes. "Tamair," I whispered as if he were a young child. "Can you speak Italian so I don't feel left out?"

Tamair stared at me as though he didn't understand me. Then he bashfully bowed his head and murmured an apology.

* * *

I must have dozed off at one point, because I opened my eyes suddenly to watch Tamair reach out to wake me. I pushed up off of the bookshelf I had leaned against, shaking my head before looking back up into Tamair's face.

"Hey," I mumbled.

"Hey." Tamair let his reaching hand turn into an offering to help me stand up. "We can go now, if you want."

I couldn't help but yawn right then. "Yeah, that would be nice," I murmured.

"Alright. Do you want to go grab something to eat before we head to an inn?"

"Sure." I brushed myself off briefly before Tamair took a hold of my arm, gently pulling me to his side. He lifted me up through the roof, pushing me up into the night air. I reach back down as if to help him up, but he climbed up before I was able to reach back down.

"Getting a little slow, hm Narina?" Tamair said, taking a note of how slow I was to react.

I groaned. "What time is it?"

"Time to go eat then sleep. We'll come back tomorrow and look over a few more documents."

"Tamair?"

"Hm?"

I smiled in a sleepy state, reached up and patted my hand against his face. "Your determination is somewhat funny to witness."

With a playful roll of his eyes, Tamair reached out and ruffled my hair, then let his hand fall down to my shoulders. "Let's go get something to eat."

Out of all the stops we took that summer, including Damascus and even Masyaf, Acre held the most information.

To put it in short, after weeks and staying in the port city, this is what we found:

There was another woman back in the time with Altair and Malik who had helped them discover and then disclose the information about the Pieces of Eden, which had been sent to be "reborn", as Altair had written in the document, which was a random and odd thing to put. Tamair found that it was interesting that the Pieces of Eden hadn't been used while in the hands of the Assassin order. While we searched through the documents, I couldn't help but wonder if what I was reading was the truth; Lucio's words coming back to me, that all I knew was the lie that had been created. Was this what he was talking about? I couldn't bring myself to ask Tamair about it, since he seemed to accept it readily enough. The breakthrough of the whole entire experience was the fact that Altair had explained in great detail how he expected the transfer of the Piece of Eden he had in his possession to be taken into hiding someone across the sea. The Sea! Since the order had moved to Italy now, that probably meant that the Eden power was now in the Roman state!

For the first time since I had arrived in the Holy Land, I felt as though it had been worth it; it had been worth it to run away.

* * *

_May 14__th__, 1482_

It wasn't even worth it anymore.

The order needed him to make decisions for it, not have him blubbering around in his own worries.  
It had been three years with no sign of Narina, no explanation of her disappearance. Ezio had tried to fight it for so long. He had searched the country, even other countries, so long for her. He had kept his bedside cold for her. He had spent his life the pass three years worried out of his mind searching for a woman who had been his best friend.

Key word: _had_.

Narina was dead. He had finally accepted it.

Life would move on, right?

But he couldn't stare at the stars anymore. Ezio couldn't take a leisure swim anymore. He couldn't take steps out into the crisp, snow anymore. And the most important loss: he couldn't see her ever again.

Everyone had lost hope long before he had. So it made no sense to Ezio when his mother gave him shit about dropping the search at the beginning of year three.

"Ezio," she started, taking a hold of his hands. "It's not like you to give up on something that you cared about."

Her words taught the assassin something.

Caring about something—more specifically some_one—_would always have the times where it would hurt. Ezio just never knew that it could hurt so much. He would take a stab to the back than losing another person that he cared for.

Especially Narina. She was a woman who actually understood the fucked up mind that was Ezio's—at least to some extent. She was a woman that Ezio actually took the time to know before he bedded with her. She was the only woman that Ezio had searched for helplessly like a lost dog. Everything had always been so easy for him. But Narina? God, she was a challenge; a challenge that Ezio loved to endure. But now...

Now it was gone.

Even though he had lived just fine before Narina came around, Ezio soon found that it was now so difficult for him to deal with even the most easy of tasks without Narina's sarcastic remarks and yet supportive motives.

God, he missed her.

* * *

_**Year Four**_

**Lesson Four: Sex ****≠ Love**(**AKA: The Understanding Ezio Lesson)**

It had never happened before in the previous years, but Tamair had to turn into a legitimate Assassin for a few weeks. Remember that he had mentioned to me back in Italy that he had enemies over here in Jerusalem? Well, he wasn't kidding around.

We were attacked in the middle of the night, totally taken by surprise. Since I hadn't dealt with such enemies for years, I was slow to react. The mens' voices were bellowed from downstairs, the words in now expected Arabic. In jerky movements, I managed to pull myself out of the bed, stumbling across the floor until I steadied myself against the desk. Only moments later, I heard the clanging of metal, and I soon felt the seriousness settle in. We were being attacked! Shaking away my grogginess with a small, stern toss of my head, I ran out of the room, the mens' voices growing louder as I ran down the stairs, Tamair's gruff and distinct voice upon the noise.

When I ran into the front room, lit up by one candle upon the wall and the moon peering through the window, a loud crash echoed throughout the house as one of the tables in the room was sent flying to the ground, the wood splintering and cracking. I watched as Tamair slumped down against the far wall, blood splattered on his cheek. Two men were hovering over him, swords drawn and their faces cast in dark shadows from hoods upon their head.

I couldn't move for a moment, staring in shock at the situation that was before me. It had been years—literally _years—_since the last I had a legitimate fight.

Whatever Tamair had taught me would have to do, because he was in trouble—an unfair fight. Without thinking twice about it, I ran towards one of the men, both of them in a half-turn towards me by the time I reached them. As if on instinct, I pressed my knee into the back of one of the men'sknee while simultaneously grabbing his wrist and using the pad of my thumb to press his wrist bone, making the man buckle on his knees, gasping out in pain. In a flash, the other man grabbed my arm, twisted it away from the other man, and jerked me away, causing a slight pain to shoot up my arm. I didn't waste time; I twisted around with the mans pull, pushing my foot to catch around his leg while my other hand pressed the knuckles into his exposed underarm, making him cry out in pain. By this time, Tamair had gotten to his feet again, and, with a simple thrust of his blade, both of the men were dead.

Although I had spent days and days training, running, sparring with Tamair, I was out of breath, shaking, and suddenly scared. As both of the men crumpled down to the floor, their last breaths splurging out from their lips, Tamair fell with them, his breaths harbored, and his hand clutching at his bloody side.

The adrenaline was still pulsing through me, and I rushed to his side. "Tamair! Oh my God, are you okay?" I fell to my knees, touching his face, then his hand that was at his side. "Oh shit, you're hurt!"

He sucked in a breath through his teeth. "It...it's pretty deep," he wheezed, his body shivering. "They got me pretty good."

Without another word, I immediately ran to the other room to grab some of the medicine and bandages we had bought, wasting no time to rip off Tamair's top and pushing him back on a cushion so I could look at the wound. It was pretty deep, and Tamair cried out in pain as I poured the alcohol on it to clean out the wound, the liquid swirling red with his blood.

"It's going to be okay," I cooed to him over and over again as I wrapped up the wound. I felt as though my words could soothe him, and at first, they did. But then..."Everything is going to be okay, Malik, I promise. Don't worry, I'll make it better."

I felt Tamair tense up, and I looked up at his face to see if he was in pain. His eyes were wide but his brow was furrowed, as if he were confused with my words. When I whispered a low 'what' to him, he slowly shook his head.

"Oh no," he whispered, reaching up and covering his face. "Oh no..."

"What? What's happening? Are you feeling okay?"

Tamair looked sad now, almost terrified. "Oh, Narina...you..."He swallowed. "You just called me Malik."

For a moment, everything sort of...detached and the world fell away, the only things that were real enough to be tangible were the man laying on the floor who was suddenly not Tamair anymore. But he looked similar to Tamair. He looked more stern, more mature in a way, his face broader with more small scars that I'm sure held many stories. An unpleasant look was on his visage. And then he smiled at me and I was suddenly looking back at a trembling Tamair, a similar smile upon his lips, only now, it was more weak and formed as though it were a plea.

"I...sorry," I muttered. "It must be from reading so much diary entries from him. Look, can you stand? We need to get you on a bed."

We managed to get Tamair into his room and onto his bed, and I stayed up the entire night nursing his wound. When I'd dab some of the cleaning alcohol on the wound, he would flinch under me and suck in a breath between his teeth, his muscles tensing in his body. I tried to be gentle, but it seemed that every small touch I would press against his skin would somehow hurt him. By the time I had gotten done with dressing the wound, I felt so bad about putting him through so much pain that I stayed up the rest of the night holding his shaking hand in mine.

I must have fallen asleep during the night, because I was woken up in the morning with a light pressure on my hand

"Narina," Tamair's voice came, lifting me further out of my slumber.

Blinking away the sleeping sand in my eyes, I sat up and gripped back onto Tamair's hand, leaning over his shirt-less body to brush away the hair that fell across his forehead, which was covered with sweat.

"What is it?" I asked, the fear settling back into me.

His breath fell hard. "I'm not feeling so well..."

Turns out, I wouldn't make a great doctor. His wound started to get infection after only a day under my care. From there, I did everything that I could to make sure that Tamair would get better. It was beyond my abilities to go get a doctor considering that I couldn't speak Arabic, so I could only go on tending to the wound everyday and going out and finding some herbs and stuff from the markets to make some ointments that I had learned from my time taking care of Ezio.

In a way, I fell back into the very same pattern that I had been in while I had taken care of Ezio during his almost crippling injury. Tamair had obtained a fever for a few days as well, and it concerned me greatly.

* * *

Finally, after a few weeks, Tamair gained a better sense of his health. He was able to sit up out of bed and joke around with me again, his grin returning and I realized that I missed it a lot more that I thought I had. There wasn't nearly as much re-cooperation time as Ezio had taken—actually, Tamair started walking the first day he felt comfortable enough to get out of bed.

I admired his strength and determination, because as soon as he was able to walk, he continued on as if nothing had happened. But I wasn't going to let it slip by so easily. Due to the fact that he had been enfeebled the weeks during his recovery, I didn't find it appropriate to ask him who exactly these men were that had attacked us.  
"Tamair!" I called out one evening after we had ate a small dinner. "Tamair, I have to ask you something!"

After about a minute, the young man was in my doorway, giving me a tired, questioning look.

"I'd like a legitimate explanation as to who these enemies are." I paused when he gave me an 'are you serious' look. "Weren't you the one to tell me that I have to know my enemy beforehand to give myself the upper hand."

"But they aren't your enemies, technically," Tamair explained. "They're enemies to the Assassin Order."

"Exactly." I frowned. "I consider myself as part of the Order."

Smiling like he had a secret, Tamair shook his head. "I'll just explain who they are."Apparently, they were some sort of secret organization that wasn't necessarily against the Assassin's like the Templars were, but they were after what the Assassin's were protecting, which was the freedom of humanity.  
"The pieces of Eden are needed in order for that to happen," Tamair explained to me, leaning against my door frame.

I had lounged against the desk, my head leaning against my folded arms that were upon the surface. "So they attack the order in an attempt to get information on the Pieces of Eden."

Tamair nodded. "But what is strange is that they really do know more than we know, and they've been around for years. Back from the start of the crusades."

"Strange indeed." I sat up at the desk and sighed, slumping down in my chair. "Such a pain in our asses though."

Tamair was silent for a moment as I closed my eyes and thought about how much irony was in my life.

"Narina?"

"Hm?" I sat up straight in the chair and looked up over at the young man.

There was a moment of hesitation in the way he pushed himself up off of the frame. "I...I must thank you for taking care of me."

I smiled softly. "No problem. I don't want you dying on me now. I would be stuck in a society that I don't understand."

Tamair's expression only hardened at my words, and there was a small set of sadness in his eyes. "Narina...how long has it been since you've left home?"

Taken aback from his question, I threw him a confused look. When he didn't respond to me, I shifted my gaze away from him. "It's been about four years now," I whispered, going through the years that I had counted in my head as they had passed.

Advancing further into the room, Tamair moved himself to stand behind my chair, his hands clasping around my shoulders. I felt the sudden intensity of the air about him, and I twisted my head up and around to look up at him. I grew suddenly worried about his tone.

The look in his eyes was only a sliver of the pain that I had seen in his eyes when he had hurt me back in Italy years before, but it was enough to make me want to make him feel better. His mouth was set in a straight line as he stared down at me, his dark hair falling down across his forehead while his heavy brow was furrowed slightly.

"W-what's the matter?" I whispered, staring up into his brown eyes with my own filled with concern and fear, I'm sure.

Tamair feigned a small smile. "Narina, I think it's time you go back home. Back to Italy."

"What?" I took a moment to stare at him, then I pulled out from under his touch, to stand up out of my chair. "What are you talking about?"

"We've raped the lands of what we could find. All that is there has probably been found—and what _hasn't_ been found will take years to find."

"Didn't you say you need my help to find it though?" I said in desperation.

"I think I'll be fine on my own."

"But...but..." I stuttered, glancing around as if to try and find an excuse. It was a strange concept when I really thought about it; I had been longing to go back home for all those years, but, when faced with the opportunity, I was scared to take it, I was scared to go back in fear that I would lose all that I had here.

"I've gathered all of the documents that we collected over the years," Tamair explained, his voice bringing my eyes up to him again. "You may take them back to the order in Italy—Mario will be pleased to have such information."

Slowly, I shook my head, telling him no. "Tamair, we can uncover even larger secrets! I know it!"

What happened next was something totally...unexpected.

Tamair reached out and took a hold of me by my shoulders, drawing me suddenly close. "It's time for the final lesson, Narina," he whispered, his breath against my face. Then, he was kissing me, his lips dancing against mine, his arms wrapped around me as if to restrain me from running. Which, strangely, I didn't even attempt to. I don't know if it was because the fact that it had been years since the last time I had been touched, or if it was because Tamair was someone that I really did care about, even though it wasn't a true affectionate relationship. As if it were a second nature, which I believe it really is to every living thing, I responded to his touch, letting my common sense go, and letting him undress me slowly, push me down to the bed he had given me. Call me stupid, but I let him have his way with me.

* * *

Don't think me a whore, though.

I woke up the next morning, blinking through the haze that clouded my eyes. Yawning loudly, I sat up in the bed and stretched out, enjoying the feel of the warmth that fell upon my stomach as the blankets fell down against my waist. I paused momentarily at the thought of the bare skin fact, then I remembered. I remembered what had happened the night before and immediately, I snapped my head to look behind me. I found a rather tired and somewhat sad looking Tamair, although a rather small smile ghosted upon his lips.

I couldn't help it. I screamed out loud and flung myself out of bed, grabbing my clothes that laid next to the bed and pressing them against my body to cover me up as I stared at Tamair with wide, scared eyes.

Tamair frowned. "What a heart-warming reaction to get from a women after sleeping with her."

The words that formed in my head were not able to seep through my lips, shock rendering me speechless. My legs finally collapsed under me and I pressed my hands to my eyes as I started to cry.

"I'm such a slut!" I cried out in sobs. "What would Ezio think if he knew? Oh my God! How could I do that to him!" While I was blubbering, Tamair climbed out of the bed, hitching the blanket around his hips and he knelt in front of me, his bare presence suddenly something I didn't want anymore.

"Narina."

"I'm so stupid!"

"Narina."

"I'm such a fucking hypocrite!"

"Narina, listen to me." I finally looked up to him with a teary eyes. His eyes were soft and understanding, a hint of apology in them. "Look at me. Remember what I did you you last night." My eyes started to water again, my lip beginning to tremble. "Ah." He pressed his finger to my lips, making me slightly flinch at his touch. "Narina, after I just had sex with you, after you had spent years and years away from home, think about how it is affecting you." I shook my head, covering my eyes with my hands, trying to tell him to stop, that he was torturing me. "Narina, you just had sex with another man, right?" I didn't do anything. "Right?"

Slowly, I nodded, a sob bursting through my lips.

"Yet, you still love Ezio, right?"

I paused for a moment, then looked up gradually at Tamair who was giving me a raised-eyebrow look. Sniffing, I slowly shook my head, showing that I didn't really understand.

Tamair held up four fingers. "Lesson four, Narina: Sex does _not_ equal love." He smiled softly and threw a wink that I admired at me. "Just because you have sex with me, or any other man for that matter, it does not negate your love for Ezio. Understand?"

I stared at him with a blank look before I felt the small amount of anger take over. "You slept with me to _teach me a lesson?_" I asked in astonishment.

Tamair smiled softly, reaching out and poking at my nose. "Don't get me wrong; it was nice to sleep with you because I do care about you. But the reason for it was because I wanted you to understand. I wouldn't try to make you choose between Ezio for any other reason."

Holding up my shirt further to hide my skin more. "What am I supposed to be understanding, exactly?"

"Why, the man you love, of course."

Finally getting over my shock and surprise at my rash actions from the night before, I gave Tamair an odd look. "What...does _that_ mean?"

"Are you not in the same shoes as Ezio right now?" Tamair said, pushing himself up off of the floor, bending over to grab his pants. "You still care about Ezio even now, right?"

"Yes," I answered. "Of course."

"Then why is it that when Ezio sleeps with another women, it automatically means that he doesn't care about you?" I stared at him blankly, but in my head, the ends finally clicked together, and I understood what Tamair was getting at. It was all so simple! Sex didn't necessarily mean love, right? "Narina, when I first saw you, you were fighting with Ezio over a kiss that he shared with a different woman. And then you ran off with me, a complete stranger. Do you think that made you any different than him swapping spit with that woman?" Tamair picked up his shirt from the floor as well, and he made a move to leave the room. "You now know how Ezio's mind works, Narina. Use it to your advantage." He paused. "Be prepared to leave in three days. The boat leaves the port in five nights."

"Wait, Tamair," I said, turning about on the floor so I was facing him. Tamair looked back at me. And for the first time, I saw him as a true friend, a man that was so full of mystery, a mystery that I wanted to discover, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't figure him out. And that was fine. I didn't mind it that way. Because of him, I realized just how foolish I had been the years before. I smiled softly. "Thank you. I wish I didn't have to go...but I am really ready to go home."

Tamair smiled gently back at me. "You've been ready for years, my friend." He took the time to walk back over, kneel before me and press a kiss against my cheek. "You're a beautiful young woman, Narina, and Ezio is a very lucky man to have your love." With that, he left the room to go dress himself, and to give me time to reflect upon my latest and final lesson from a man who and grown into a true friend.

* * *

The next three days passed by in a blur much too fast than I cared for, but with all of the documents stuffed into one pack, I was ready to go by the time the third day rolled around. Tamair woke me up later that morning, giving me time to rest. We had spent the last three days together in Jerusalem going through training session again that I really didn't need anymore, but it was fun to over it. After the third day, we packed up horses, and took two days to ride over to the port city of Acre. It was mid-day as we walked over to the docks, my dress hanging down to my ankles with the torn blue cloth hanging over my face similar to the hood Tamair wore.

We spent a few hours at the docks, staring out over the sea in a silence, basking in the presence of each other, knowing the small odds that we would see each other again. Then, when the call echoed through the docks that the boat would be leaving, we made out way slowly over to the boat.

I paused before I took a step up onto the boat, pulling the cloth away from my face to gaze back at Tamair for one final time. I had spent the last four years with the man, unlocked secrets with him,how to defend myself, and had me understand that my so-called memory problem didn't necessarily mean that I had no talents. He taught me lessons that I would have never taken the time to understand years ago. And I admired him for that. There was no way I could repay him for the kindness he had shown me. It was impossible to even comprehend just how much he had done for me, and it wouldn't be years later until I realized how much he taught me, how much he reminded me of a past I had once lost. I'll never forget his smile as he saw me gazing back at him for a goodbye, the way his dark hair stuck out in every direction like he had just rolled out of bed, the way his hazel eyes looked at me with such great admiration and affection. Had it not been for my devotion to my cause and another reason entirely, I would have chosen to stay with this man in Jerusalem for much longer. Alas, I wished to return back home, and, more importantly, back to _my_ Assassin.

Without really knowing how he did so, Tamair somehow was next to me, his fingers against my cheek and his lips pressed to my brow.

"Thank you," he murmured, the words just seeming to roll off of his tongue. "I'm sure Ezio will be happy with what you have done."

Frowning, hearing the final warning for all to board the boat, I clutched onto Tamair's sleeve before he could turn away. "But we uncovered so little." My hand self-consciously fell against the pack at my hip that held all of the documents we had collected.  
"Yes, but it was enough to make it this far."

A strange pang of emotion pierced through me, one that I hadn't felt in a long time. "I'm going to miss you," I whispered, feeling the pressure of threatening tears in my eyes.

The small smile that I had come to know pressed his lips quietly, and his fingers once again touched against my cheek. "And I will miss you, Narina. But I am no fool to even think that your longing to see me is even a fraction of how much you have missed the man you love." His eyes landed on something behind me and made me realize that I had a time limit. He glanced back down at me, smiling softly. "Safety and Peace."

I couldn't help myself, and I threw my arms around him for one last time. "Thank you for everything, Tamair. I'll never forget you, I swear."

He chuckled, his arms wrapping around my waist to hold me back. "Remember what I have told you about making promises you can surely never keep?"

"I won't." I held onto him tighter. "Your riddles make no sense to me now than they did years ago."

It must have been only about three seconds until I was pushed away, Tamair laughing, saying I was going to miss my boat if I didn't hurry. Although reluctant, I finally climbed upon the ship, running to the edge of the boat to wave goodbye to my good friend. He stood at the edge of the dock, his hood draped over his face once more, the smile still upon his lips. His finger-less gloved hand was in the air, waving one more goodbye to me. The ship lurched violently under me once before it started to move steadily forward.

Leaning over the railing, I yelled out "Tamair! I promise I will come and visit you sometime! I'll have you meet Ezio!" In return, I only got another wave, a wink, and a smile.

But Tamair _was_ right about one thing: I shouldn't make promises I cannot keep.

I never saw him again.

* * *

**I'm sure no one can imagine how much shit I went through to finish this chapter. It was quite a doozy!**

**In any case, if you feel like you have to tear me a new ass-hole, that's another reason why I waited so long to update—I steeled myself for the hate. I'm sorry for those of you who didn't like Tamair that I let him do that, but it had to be (not to mention, this is my story, and I believe I do what I want.)**

**:3 But yes! WE'RE BACK TO EZIO IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! WHOOOOOOOOOO! I'm even excited! :D**

**Thanks for Betty for the Translations!  
Thanks for Kittenbell for Beta-ing this beast!**

**Love for all! :3  
Tell me how you want Narina and Ezio to reunite in reviews! :D (If you're lucky, I might just make some of them come true!) :3**

**Thanks, and review!**


	31. The Return Home

**-FINALLY! BACK WITH EZIO! WHOO!  
****-And really? So many of you had a change of heart about Tamair! :D It made me happy yet kind of a little annoyed at the same time! I guess you all do have the right to change your opinions on him, but...well, he's not going to be in this story again, so I guess I can let it go. :3  
****-And I sure do have to explain myself about that fourth lesson, now don't I? If it is really something that is bothering you, I ask of you to message me so that I can explain myself.  
****-I figured out that Israel was called Palestine before it was Israel, so I'll be using that now, alright? :3  
****-I dedicate this chapter to my friend Libby (even though she doesn't even read this story.) She is probably the only person who I can go out of flipping control with and nobody would care. :3 Thanks Libby!**

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews!:  
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* * *

~_Winter_ by Complex B~

* * *

**Chapter 31: The Return Home**

The days upon the boat weren't even that bad. It was easy to get lost in the cool breezes of the warm, summer Mediterranean, and it made it all so much more enjoyable, and even relaxing enough to take a nap against the railing. Of course, most of my time was spent in my cabin, going over the few documents that I had taken the time to write down in Italian after Tamair had read the originals to me. Half-way through the trip, I changed from my Jerusalem dress to the clothes that I had gotten while I had been in Venice the years before.  
The nights...they were the worst. For some reason, the sea-sickness would hit me when I tried to curl up in the small cot in my cabin. I spent most of my nights in a tight ball, trying to stop the nausea from rising. And another point that was just weird was that I got all emotional as I tried to fight my sickness. As if trying to give my mind another thing to wonder about, I started to think about the last words I had screamed at Ezio, the way I had left without a word. And when I imagined how much turmoil I had put him through—_everyone_ at home through, I had to cover my face and bite back the sobs. Some times throughout the boat trip, I would freak out when I considered the possibility that the Auditore's wouldn't accept me back for some reason. Uncertainty definitely put me in a position where I over thought things.

The other people who rode on the boat from Israel didn't stay on as long as I did. Most of them got off on spots through out the ports we stopped by in the middle east, and the lands across the Adriatic Sea. Although I was willing to converse with the people who would enter the boat in those stops, none of them spoke a language I could speak fluently in. The ones who _could_ speak Italian would usually busy themselves throughout the day and then disappear at night, so I never got a chance to really talk to them.

So since I couldn't stick my nose into other people's business, the ten days upon the boat seemed longer than they had four years before.

* * *

I was woken up from my mid-day nap on the boat by the creaking of the boat and the shouting up above the deck, the voices calling out for the stop at "_Venezia! Venezia!_" After the moment it took me to realize that the next stop was indeed Venice, I sprung out of bed without a thought, gathering my things together in a small pack. At first, I was excited to be home again, but when the crew hands came knocking on the cabin doors, announcing the stop for Venice, a lead ball formed in my throat, then dropped dead-weight into my stomach , making me feel suddenly clammy and nauseous.

Why should they accept me back into their lives? If I put myself in the Auditore's position, it was hard to imagine drawing someone back in after they had deliberately left without a word. I realized that I had to think of something else other than an explanation of where I had gone; I would have to think of what I was going to do if the Auditore's wouldn't take me back.

I sat in my cabin in a blank daze, not sure how I should feel, until the boat had slowed to a stop and the footsteps all about the boat blurring into a hum with the excited voices that seemed to buzz all about the boat. Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself up off of the cot that I had been sitting on, gathered the small pack that I had collected together and then the other pack filled with the translated documents from Jerusalem, and I made my way out of the cabin and up onto the deck. As I walked out onto the deck, I found myself staring in awe at the city that was at the side of the port, the grand buildings that were painted so elegantly.

After a moment of motionless staring, I slowly made my way over to the edge of the boat, away from the crowd that was piling off and onto the boat. The language, the words; I could understand them! All of the faces and all of the smells—the metal, the food, the disgusting Venice water—oh, they had been only things that I had put in my memories of a time long ago! A moment of being overwhelmed with a feeling of perplexity, not only was fear and uncertainty growing within me, but excitement and longing overpowering my senses. Gradually, a smile spread on my face.

"_Casa_ (Home)," I whispered, then louder with a bit more vigor. "_Finalmente a casa!_(I'm finally home)"

A few people turned and looked at me, but at the moment, I didn't care. Pushing through the crowds filing off of the boat, I ran out into the streets of the busy city, and almost immediately, I felt the sense of belonging that I thought I had lost many years ago. It had been so long since I had been in Italy that being back in the country almost made me face nostalgia, like it was a past that had been long forgotten.

"God! I never thought I could miss the smell of Venice! Can you believe it?" I exclaimed happily to a passerby, who just stared at me quietly, then quickly continued to walk down the street.

Feeling completely excited and energized, I found myself running down the streets, grinning from ear to ear, wondering if I still could remember the once well-known layout of Venice. But when I began to think about where I was going to go while I was in Venice, my happy thoughts and go-lucky feelings were dashed.

Oh God...what would Leonardo say?

Surprising even myself, I found myself standing in front of the grand workshop that belonged to Leonardo da Vinci. Hesitation rendered my body motionless for a moment and I found myself filled with so much mixed emotions that it was almost as if I were floating in a sea of uncertainty.

Tamair told me to do the important things before I do whatever I please. But if I left Venice without saying hi to my friends here, I might not get the chance for another long while. Opportunities before business—Sorry Tamair.

Sucking in a breath that seemed to summon the courage within me, I advanced towards the workshop door. The uncertainty would have caused me to hesitate again, but I forced myself to reach out and knock on the door twice before I literally pushed myself to open the door and walk in.

When I stumbled into the building loudly, feeling extremely rude and out of place, I immediately glanced around the room, looking for any sign of Leonardo. I felt even more out of place when I realized that he wasn't in the workshop area and I was practically breaking-and-entering. For some reason, I didn't want to push it any farther than I had to, so I stayed in the small entry way of the room, wringing my hands together as I began to contemplate how I was going to get through all of this.

I'm not sure how long I stood there, my heart pounding in my chest so loudly, but I heard the man coming, his footsteps echoing through his shop. Adverting my gaze up to the small archway that led to the back rooms of Leonardo's shop, his shadow from the candle light in the small hallway landing against the far wall, shrinking from an abnormal larger size as the figure moved towards the room.

Honestly, I thought I was going to vomit when Leonardo finally walked into the room and froze in mid-step when he saw me standing on the other side of the room. Although I knew that it couldn't happen, it looked as though Leonardo's eyes were about to pop out of his head, his brow furrowing under the red cap that was still upon his head from years before. The tension in the air soon became tangible, although I wasn't sure whether it was the good, easy-to-break tension, or if it was a repressed-anger tension. Either way, Leonardo's expression or eyes didn't give anything other than surprise away.

I swallowed back the fear that knotted my tongue, trying to find the courage enough to talk out loud. Sadly enough, only one word got through the web in my throat. "L-leonardo?" I whispered, my voice quivering.

The blue eyes grew wider. "Narina?" He whispered back, his voice trembling as if he expected that I had been a trick of the eye.

An unspoken want was met when I took note that he still recognized me; that the years that had passed hadn't changed me to a point where I wasn't Narina anymore. It took me a moment, but I was finally able to force a smile on my lips and raise my voice to a louder volume. "Leonardo!"

"Narina!" Before I knew it, Leonardo had launched himself across the room and I was in his embrace, his arms tightly around me like he was afraid that I'd disappear if he let me go. "Narina! You are alright!" When he started to laugh, holding me tighter, I couldn't help but begin to laugh myself, hugging back the artist with my own tight hug. In the excitement and astonishment, Leonardo held me out at arms length and stared me deeply in the eyes before he tugged me into yet another hug.

The embrace made me feel like a small child, Leonardo's hands brushing against the back of my head as if to make sure I was really there. And then it hit me just how much I had actually missed Leonardo, and I found myself laughing while happy tears streamed down my cheeks. Holding tighter onto me for only a moment, Leonardo then held me out again, and smiled warmly at me, reaching up to rub away my tears with the cuff of his sleeve.

"Oh, Narina," Leonardo said in a quiet, somewhat surprised voice. "I...we...ah! There is so much that needs to be asked and discussed!"

I laughed again, sniffing then nodding. "Yes, there is!"

Leonardo's eyes lit up at my laughter and he led me over to the chair in front of the fire. "Indeed, we need to talk about what has happened, but beforehand, you must be tired and hungry, right?"

"Well, I slept on the boat, but I haven't eaten since this morning." I sat down in the chair, smiling up at Leonardo.

"Boat?" Leonardo's face fell between slight shock and wonderment. "Well! There seems to be more things to talk about then!" Smiling down at me, Leonardo told me to stay put while he went and fetched me something to eat.

As I leaned back in the chair, sighing loudly and smiling, placing my two packs on the ground beside the chair, I found myself basking in the warmth of both the fire in front of me and the feeling of finally being back to the place where I belonged. The thought and the feel made a low hum form within me.

* * *

Leonardo came back with a plate full of bread, cheese, fruits and bits of dried meat, handing it to me with a warm smile.

Being in Jerusalem, in a society where not many were rich or had much to offer, I hadn't had a completely filling meal for a long while, and just staring at the plate of food Leonardo was offering made my mouth water.

"Oh, this looks delicious!" I commented, taking the plate and bringing it down to my lap, using my fingers to pick at the assortment of edible things.

Chuckling, Leonardo retrieved a stool from the workshop table and placed it beside the chair I sat in. "Then eat up! It's good to see you so alive and well!"

Half-way through stuffing the cheese and bread in my mouth, I threw a confused glance over at Leonardo. "What do you mean 'so alive'?"

Leonardo's face grew suddenly grim. "Narina, we have all been convinced that you died years ago."

"What!" I temporarily placed the plate aside and gave Leonardo a wide-eyed look. "You thought I _died_?" Even the word just caused my stomach to roll uncomfortably and I was overwhelmed with the feeling of regret when I considered how much I had put them all through now, the level shifting even higher now that I knew that they had thought I had went and gotten myself killed.

Leonardo saw my discomfort, and he reached out and took a hold of my hand. "At first, we just thought you had ran away," Leonardo explained. "We spent months looking for you all across Italy." Shyly, I let my head bow in shame at his words. "You were no where to be found though," he continued. "We had taken the liberty to look for you in other countries as well, such as Spain and France. We had Lorenzo de'Medici helping us with the search as well, until..." Leonardo faded off, shifting on the stool.

I slowly shook my head, not wanting to hear it but wanting to know at the same time. "Until what?" I whispered.

"Well," Leo murmured, "we all searched vigorously for two months, and then, as we searched in the mountains...we all thought you drowned in the river."

I was momentarily confused by his words, wondering just what had led them to come to that conclusion, but then an image flashed in my head of Tamair throwing me up onto a horse while I was complaining about...

"My shoes!" I exclaimed. "I left them by the river!"

Leonardo stared up at me with saddened eyes and nodded slowly. "_Si_. Those shoes are what made the search...die out. We all lost hope. Well, not all of us."

I didn't need any more hints, and my eyes lowered down to the flame in the hearth. "Ezio."

The artist paused briefly before continuing. "He was so sure that you were out there somewhere...and, thank the Gods above us he was right!"

Although Leonardo was now trying to make me feel a bit chirpier, I felt myself fall down further into a deep sorrow. "He gave up eventually, too, didn't he?" I whispered, the despair and guilt balling up tightly in my stomach.

He sighed deeply, his hands griping tighter onto my fingers. "Understand that he has only given up not too long ago—he is the one that insisted that we continued the search even after we were all so sure..." He once again faded off. Before I could look up at him with my questioning stare, he let go of my hands and reached down for the plate. "But it does not matter now! You're here and well, from what I can tell! You just need a good meal. So eat up!"

Although I had completely lost my appetite, I complied to Leonardo's pleading gaze and started to eat the food. We talked about the more common things while I ate, such as the weather in Italy and the commissions that Leonardo was now doing. He also noted that I looked like I was in serious need of a bath, and I told him that it had been a few months since my last bath with chagrin.

When I was almost done eating, he shot up from the stool, clasping his hands together. "Ah! I forgot! I have business to do! I must deliver some paintings!"

"Oh." I put the plate down again. "I could help you..."

"No, no," Leo immediately said, cutting me off. "You stay here and finish eating. I'll be back soon." Although I wanted to get out and search Venice again, I felt as though I was in no position to deny Leonardo anything, so I watched him ready himself and collect the few paintings in a box before he hauled them over to the front door.

Before he left, he stopped and looked over at me picking at my food gingerly. "Narina, can I ask you to please not leave the shop? I'd like to talk with you more."

I looked at him shocked and somewhat hurt, but I nodded. "I won't leave. I'm tired of running anyway."

Satisfied with my answer, Leonardo left the shop, closing the door lightly behind him.

* * *

After I had finished the food on the plate, I found myself wandering about the workshop, staring up at all the books and new paintings Leonardo had about. One that really caught my attention was a painting of a woman sitting on the edge of a boat, her dark hair shimmering in the moonlight. With the dim light in the workshop, I could really tell what she had clutched in her hand, but it too was waving in the wind along with her dark hair. There was a small piece of paper tagged to the picture that said 'To Monteriggioni', which I immediately had to turn away from and try to compose the uncomfortable feeling inside of me. I ended up going back over to sit in the chair, staring into the flames of the gradually dying flame. As I did so, I thought to myself over and over 'you can do this. It's gone good so far, right?'

I had been so lost in my thoughts that I didn't hear the door open. And apparently, being away from Leonardo for so long made me forget that he was a clever guy. Of course he was going to run off and tell somebody about his 'discovery'.

"Narina?" The voice was full of astonishment, and it definitely wasn't Leonardo's either. Snapping my head to the left to look at the entrance, I found myself looking into the eyes of an astonished Ugo, his face covered in a thin layer of stubble and his dark hair still peeking out from under his dark cap. Reality slapped me in the face when I noticed how much older he looked from the last time I had seen him, teasing me over the breakfast table about sleeping with Ezio. It was enough of a sudden realization to make tears form in my eyes.

I didn't have to think twice about it this time; I immediately stood from the chair and ran over to Ugo with open arms, pressing my face into his now broader shoulders to hide the tears. "Oh, Ugo," I whispered, holding onto him tighter.

"Narina!" Ugo was suddenly lifting me into the air, twisting me around haphazardly around the room, his laughter echoing throughout the shop. "You're okay! You're alive! _Mio Dio_, Ezio had been right!"

Even after Ugo had sat me down on the ground, his hands cupped around my face so he could look me in the eye, I was once again pulled into another hug by another—Rosa, I figured out after she scolded me (in a loving way) in whispers. Not even done with the hug with Rosa, another pair of arms found themselves about me, and basing my judgment on my two other visitors, it had to be Antonio.

I had never heard my name spoken so much, not to mention try to catch onto all the words that they were flinging at me. Comprehension was something that I had lost touch with over the few years before, so I just stood there with a half-smile, watery eyes, and sniffling nose. I was shocked by the amount of welcome I was receiving from them, that they were so willing to pull me back into their arms after I had violently ripped away.

But then again, I hadn't explained my story then. I was finally able to catch them asking "Where have you been all of this time?" And now that the whole group of Venice was here, I supposed that it was now time to explain just what had happened. After we had all settled around the hearth, each of them staring at me with wide, interested eyes. Finding myself struggling for words through all the emotions of finally being able to see the friendly faces of my companions once more, I sorted through my mind for a few moments, trying to get my story straight.

I started from the beginning. From the moment the party began, to when I saw Ezio and Ciosa, to when rode a horse around the town, to when I met Tamair,...to everything that I had come to a decision about over the past four years. I tried to be as thorough as possible so that they would have too many questions. The more and more I told, however, the more and more idiotic I felt about the whole thing. But when I brought up the subject of the information that I had helped Tamair unlock, I began to feel the sense of duty over take me, and I even reached for the pack of documents to prove my point further.

When I was finished telling the tale, explaining myself and my disappearance, they all just stared at me with carefully measured eyes, obviously torn between two emotions. I let them wade around in their thoughts before I bowed my head and whispered "I'm sorry that I was stupid enough to not even say goodbye or anything. But I figured if I told you—or anyone, or that matter—you all wouldn't have let me go."

Antonio slowly shook his head. "You're right. We wouldn't have." I felt the shame at his words, and I looked away uncomfortably. "But," he continued, "let's not be so hasty here." He reached out and took a hold of the pack that held all of the documents. "You've uncovered quite a bit here, and judging from what you have told us, it is valuable indeed."

I nodded. "Yes. All of the locations of the tombs, hidden Assassin base-lines, and procedures to hide the pieces of Eden are all included in the text." I paused. "I just wish that I..."

Antonio reached over and took a firm hold of my hand. "You did what you thought was best. And judging on how much potential these documents have, it was the best choice. You see, nothing has been really happening here in Italy—especially with the Order." His grip tightened. "You may not know it now, but you have saved us a grand sum of time, my dear."

Although his words were intended to make me feel better, I was starting to feel worse and worse. But I didn't allow my despair to block out my curiosity on just what _had_ been going on in Italy while I had been away. The five of us spent the rest of the daylight hours talking about what had happened in the past years—What Italy had gone through, what the Order had gone through, what Jerusalem was like, and what a pain it had been to live in a society where I couldn't talk. The night turned against us, and Antonio announced that Ugo, Rosa and him should return to the Base.

"We should send a message to Monteriggioni immediately to announce that you are actually alive."

Something tugged unpleasantly inside of me. "No!" I objected, making them all turn towards me. "I think they deserve to figure out by actually seeing me rather than seeing words on a paper."

Antonio understood, nodding then giving me another hug, whispering in my ear that he was glad to see that I was alright. Ugo gave me another bear hug and Rosa embraced me, both of them telling me that they had missed me and that it was good to see me alive and kicking. They were too similar—it was a wonder how they weren't together yet.

* * *

After they left, Leonardo served me up another small meal to suffice for dinner, and after that, I spent more time discussing with him about a certain Assassin. Before, which all of them there, I hadn't been comfortable enough to ask and talk about Ezio, but now that it was just Leonardo and I, I felt as though I could relieve the want a little bit. However, there wasn't much to tell, considering that I wouldn't let Leonardo go into description of how hard Ezio had looked for me. It was mostly just about what Ezio had done in the years without me—he had gone to Leonardo a few times to decode some codex pages, but nothing very spectacular had happened in the meantime.

We only spent a few hours talking about it. Then, after a few yawns, Leonardo ushered me to bed, telling me that it was probably best for me to head for Monteriggioni immediately in the morning. The name of the town sent butterflies awry in my tummy, but I agreed with him, and allowed to be pushed to bed—a warm, comfy, one, might I add; something that I had long forgotten as well. I was so used to sleeping on hay-stuffed mattresses with only a thin blanket between to keep the poking at a minimum. It was definitely something luxurious to snuggle into warm sheets and tightly woven blankets. Although I wasn't sure how I should have felt at the moment, I knew that I felt quite content

* * *

Leonardo didn't allow me to leave until I had yet another meal with him the next morning. I found that I couldn't even really eat a 'full' meal—I was so used to the smaller meals that would barely carry me over for the day. Even after breakfast was done, I wasn't able to get out of the workshop without Leonardo giving me about twenty more hugs and goodbyes, telling me that he didn't want me to end up missing again. Laughing, I told him I wouldn't in a joking/offensive tone, but I knew that he really did mean it to some extent.

Just when I was about to leave the shop, I stopped short and frowned, my hand on the door, turning to look back at Leonardo.

"That painting you have on the wall," I noted, adverting my gaze to it. "Do you want me to take it with me to Monteriggioni?"

His eyes widening in surprise, he looked over to where the painting was. "Oh...yes, if you wouldn't mind."

I smiled softly. "Alright. Let's get it ready to go."

As I helped him wrap the painting in a thin material so not to get scratched or bumped on my trip, Leonardo cleared his throat. "It's kind of embarrassing for you to see this picture, actually," he murmured.

I was confused. "Why?"

"Can't you tell?" Leonardo finally knotted the last wrap around the painting, then he held it out to me. "It's a picture of you."

"Me?" I asked in astonishment, going back in my mind to try and remember what the picture had looked like exactly. "Why me?"

Leonardo sighed and rubbed at his face, becoming suddenly embarrassed and yet somehow enthusiastic. "You see, I started it years ago, back when I first came to Venice. I saw you the night on the boat after you and Ezio had your little fight. That's why I asked you to pose for me sometimes." I recalled the odd days when Leonardo had pulled me aside before I went and ran amok in Venice with Ugo. "But it turned into a project that I put aside—one of the many ones that had lost it's potential.

"However, when you disappeared for years, Ezio soon grew unsure of how you even looked anymore." Leonardo sighed. "When I remembered this painting, I was please to see that I had already finished the basics of it and that I could finish it for him to have."

"Oh." I felt the lead weight in my stomach again. "I...see."

Leonardo attempted a half-smile. "It'll be a nice present next to having you come back with it. Maybe we should tie a ribbon around you too?"

The laugh that escaped through my lips was short and breathy, like I wasn't sure if I should be laughing or not. Trying to comfort me, Leonardo gave me another hug and wished me luck before he walked me through the town and to the docks where the boats to Forli were boarding. After another quick and warm embrace, I thanked Leonardo for his hospitality, took a hold of my bags along with the wrapped up painting before I paid the fee to get onto the boat.

I waved to Leonardo once more before I wandered down below into the cabins, finding my room and staying in there as the boat started to move while the voices shouted out the departure. Although I did have the money for it (thanks to Tamair), I could have bought a cabin for myself, but I decided to keep the money for better purposes and allowed two other travelers (a wife and a husband, I'm sure) to rest in the same cabin as I was in. They kept to themselves and were actually out of the room most of the ride.

* * *

The boat arrived in Forli a few hours after sundown, and although I hadn't ever spent that much time in Forli, I felt the overwhelming power of nostalgia once more as I looked at the dimly lit town from the candles that lit the dark streets of the city, the buildings seemingly giving of a warm glow. It was strange to have such feeling over this town considering that the town held nothing but sad and awful memories for me. However, I judged the time by the darkened sky and decided it best to begin my trip over to Monteriggioni early the next day, and I went into the port city and found myself an Inn to stay, walking through the markets on the way over so I could stock up on what little supplies I needed to make my way over to Florence.

I didn't want to flash my wealth around anymore than I had to, so I woke up early before sun had even came up and went to the stables outside of the city to buy myself a horse. Although I knew that the stables at Monteriggioni had probably already replaced the horse that had died under my care (actually, _both_ of the horses that died under my care), I still felt that it was necessary that I buy one for myself so I didn't have to kill off what they had left. It didn't take me long to pick a horse—checking the teeth just as the stable boys had always told me to do while looking for a horse to ride. After paying the ridiculous price of buying a horse, I strapped up my things sloppily on the horse, hoping that none of it would fall off during the day of riding before I started my way up into the mountains.

Apparently, I chose the right horse for such a trip. The young, chestnut horse was energized enough to be able to go at a mid-pace the entire morning, even though his sides extended below me in his breaths. I did take pity on the beast, and stopped periodically throughout the day to give him a small break while I would snack on the little provisions I had bought back in Forli. However, I didn't name the horse—I felt like it wasn't appropriate to give a stable horse a name that wouldn't stick.

So, basically, my whole day consisted of the hot sun beating off of my back, my head protected by the small, tattered and torn blue cloth while my thighs were sore from riding in the saddle and sweaty from rubbing against the leather all day.

Since I wasn't being pushed by another traveling companion, I actually spent the entire day riding at a somewhat slow pace; a pace slower than what I was used to, but it was nice, nonetheless. It allowed me a chance to marvel at the Italian landscape again, to fall in love with the swaying trees, high mountains and the gentle roll of the hills all over again. It was weird to be in such a lush landscape again, for I had grown accustomed to the grainy lolls of sand with only little tufts of green an every rare while. And instead of hearing crows and eagles cry out above in the skies, little chirps and pretty bird-songs could be heard through the forests of the mountain. I loved it all, and I had missed it all dearly.

* * *

It was growing rather late by the time I reached Florence. The sun had long disappeared behind the distant horizon, and the town was filled with the warm glow of the street candles lighting the way for the few people still heading home. I considered riding all the way back to Monteriggioni in one night, but then I took in the fact that I was getting pretty tired and I was sick of riding on the back of a horse—not to mention how sore I was.

After I made sure my horse was tied up safely in the stables, I slowly made my way into the town that I had considered to be my first home.

And it was strange how I felt when I walked through the town of Florence. It had seemed like a distant dream; the last time I had walked the same streets. Had it really been that long ago? Or did I just want to go back to that time so I didn't have to explain myself?

Once I had wandered around the city for a bit, delving back into my first memories for the time being, I realized that I would have to make the decision to get an Inn room, or to go to Paola's, explain myself, and stay there. It probably would have been easier just to stay at an Inn and sneak away quietly like I hadn't even been in the city, but it was probably a better idea to go and see Paola to get a better understanding of how I was to explain myself to the Auditores. Although I knew I had to do it, I was scared of what they might say to me—what they might do to me. In a weird but legitimate way, I had betrayed them and their trust. I had left them without a goodbye or an explanation. I had never written to them either, something that I could have done, but I just hadn't taken the time to do. I had sent them through an emotional yet unnecessary whirlwind of worry and confusion, and I felt terrible about it. If they didn't punish me, I felt as though that I would have to do it myself.

Steeling myself for another round of questions, I made my way through Florence, becoming temporarily lost, then finding myself at the bordello north of the Duomo. The building hadn't changed from the last time I had seen it; the red, silken materials and banners were placed all about the building in a decorative manner, inviting those who wanted a good time to come inside. Although this building didn't hold many pleasant memories either, a smile still found it's way onto my face as I looked up. The smile, however, was just a facade—I was feeling slightly sick again at the thought of Paola completely rejecting me just I had though Leonardo would have and what I thought the Auditore's would surely do.

With a deep, tying-to-calm-myself-down breath, I raised my fist and knocked on the door.

This reunion was much like the first, only I had to explain myself to a large group of women rather than only four people. I had never been hugged so much times in my entire life! The girls just seemed to pass me around, their voices in a big hum over the small group that tightened around me. Finally, Paola (who had given me her share of hugs, astonished whispers, and 'I can't believe it's really you!'s) settled the other girls down and insisted that I tell my story of how I had escaped and hidden from their searching eyes. Although I didn't go into as much detail as I had with Leonardo and the thieves, I had apparently explained the situation enough to gain Paola's nod of acceptance.

"I have heard of Tamair from Giovanni," Paola admitted. "Although that was long ago, I do not find it odd that he has reappeared again."

"Right." I nodded. "He told me that I could help out the order if I went with him to Palestine. And so..." I let my voice drop. "I went without saying goodbye, like an idiot."

Paola smiled softly at me and reached out to touch my face. "We all have the moment in our lives where we wish we could go back and re-do it. But know that you cannot, Narina."

"I know that." I paused. "I know that really well, actually. I don't wish that I could go back and change it—I just criticize my past-self from a future point."

Paola gave me a slight nod before she turned to her girls and asked them that they go to bed or return to their duties; also to get a room ready for me to sleep in. "Although I can only imagine what kind of adventure you had over in Jerusalem. Please do not concern yourself for past mistakes, for it is truly a blessing to see you home, safe and sound."

I smiled slowly and softly. "_ Grazie,_ Paola. It is great to be home."

"Are you heading over to Monteriggioni, then?" Paola wondered as she led me out of the room they had sat me in to discuss my story.

"Ah, yes," I admitted. "Mario will probably find these documents that I have very interesting and helpful—I feel like I owe him it considering what I put him through."

"Him through?" Paola seemed almost surprised at my words, a weird smirk appearing on her face. "You're worried about what you put _him_ through?" I knew where she was going with this, and I bowed my head so I didn't have to see the accusing gleam in her eye.

I know, I KNOW—I put Ezio through a _lot_ more worry than I had sent Mario through. That was still a very sensitive topic though. I didn't want to face it until I absolutely had to.

Luckily for me, Paola saw how I felt about the situation and dropped the subject faster than she would a scalding potato. Instead, she led me upstairs into my temporary room, gave me one more hug, another sigh of disbelief, another smile of joy, and a goodnight to finish it off.

Yet another thing I had forgotten in my time with Tamair was what it was like to be wanted and loved by more than one person. Over in Jerusalem, I had only had Tamair. Here in Italy...well, I had a lot. And I really liked that. Despite the impending tsunami of mixed emotions about returning to Monteriggioni the very next day, I fell asleep smiling.

* * *

But I woke up crying.

The nightmare could still be seen in my eyes as I sobbed against my pillow. Disgusted with the way the morning sun tried to warm me up by resting against my back, I tucked myself under the blankets and pillow, wanting to suddenly disappear from the world. It didn't take long for the tears to stop falling and for me to sit erect in the bed, staring at the folds in the blanket like they were the most interesting thing in the world. Finally, after a few minutes, I pulled myself out of bed and proceeded to put my boots on—making sure to sit on the floor like a child to pull them on.

When I walked downstairs, meeting Paola down at the front room, she immediately asked me what was wrong, seeing how troubled I was.

I responded by first remembering my dream of being cold and alone, being wounded in a way far worse than any blade could muster, before I sobbed out a "if they don't take me back, can I stay here with you?" To that, Paola simply pulled me into an embrace, petting my hair while humming sweet and ensuring words to me, trying to convince me that I wouldn't have to worry about such things.

"I have watched them over the years, my child," Paola whispered to me. "And the Auditores have always been an understanding and forgiving family. Don't tell me that you have forgotten that?"

Shaking my head, I sniffed loudly. "But I don't think I deserve to be forgiven. I left without a goodbye and never tried to contact anyone at home, and for what? A few stupid documents that might not even tell the truth?"

"Now, shh," Paola hummed, taking me over to a nearby couch to sit down. "The Auditores love you, Narina—you are a part of that family. Such things do not change over the illusion of time."

"It does when they think I've been dead!" I spat out, reaching up to cover my face. "Oh God, Paola! I've put them through so much shit these past years, haven't I?"

Paola's hand rubbed against my shoulder in an effort to comfort me. "Love is not something that is simply just 'gone'. Thoughts and concerns may fade, but love never leaves a soul, even in death." Paola held me to her side, comforting me further. "If what you say is true, however, then you are saying that Maria does not love Giovanni anymore."

A moment of silence settled down around the two of us as I thought and contemplated Paola's words. The more I thought about them, the more I began to realize slowly that she was right. Love never really died away, did it? Even if Federico had died long ago, I still considered him the dear man that I had admired dearly. Death nor time had never changed that.

* * *

I felt better after I had something to eat. After breakfast was over, I spent about another hour to talk with Paola a little bit more, just discussing about what the Bordello had been through in the past years that I had been absent. I'm not sure if it was because I was older and more mature than I had been from the last time I had met Paola, but I realized that she was a pleasure to talk to. Her voice was kind and her smiles were caring. The respect and attention was something that wasn't very common over across the seas, and I loved the feel of it.

Soon, however, Paola sighed and told me that I should head over to Monteriggioni immediately. Deciding that it was indeed time for me to go home, I retrieved my packs from my room and balanced the painting again my hip. The beautiful and intelligent woman led me to the front door, pulling me into another hug. "Be safe, my dear," she whispered. "You have come too far for anything to happen to you now."

Laughing, I pulled away from her. "I will be. I've got a few new tricks up my sleeve now."

She watched in a silence as I draped a new cloth over my head, casting a dark shadow over my face. "I wish you luck, Narina."

"Thank you, Paola."

With another goodbye, Paola waved to me as I made my way down the street, feeling the weight of my emotions with every step that I took. I made sure that I took the path that led me past the Auditore home so that I could stare up at the building and dwell back in the past for a few moments, to gain the feel of familiarization.

I was actually only a few steps away from the old Auditore Palazzo when I forces myself to stop. No, not for the house itself, but to watch a scene in the dark ally-ways winding behind the house.

"Leave me alone!" I heard from the shadows, and I realized that in those shadows was a woman being pestered by a guard—a guard who was poking the young woman with an erect finger, a sloppy and provocative grin on his face.

When I had been in Jerusalem, such sights were common. Men brutally raping women was no stranger to me anymore. But when I was in Palestine, Tamair always told me not to worry about such things—that the men would be justified without my eye upon them. I supposed that meant Tamair did his normal Assassin duties without my acknowledgment. Tamair never had much tolerance for such things anyway, so it wouldn't surprise me if that was the case.

But I was in Italy now. Tamair wasn't here to make sure justice was served later. And I didn't have time to do this 'later' business. However, as much as I wanted to help, I told myself that I needed to go home, not to worry about this woman.

Even if I told myself as such, I found myself turning on my heel to return back to the ally-way. When I returned back to the mouth of the street, staring down upon the guard pressing the woman up against the wall, tears falling from her eyes now. Something inside of me tore away all of my earlier concerns, flashing images in my mind when I had been in a similar position. I knew how scary it was when such a thing happened. Had I been in her shoes at the moment, I would have wanted someone to help me out.

I sat down the few things that I was carrying, leaning the painting up against the buildings, hiding it behind some crates so it wouldn't be taken. Without much of a thought, I found myself approaching the two, my shoulders set back and my eyes narrowed. The woman caught sight of me before the guard did, and I saw a form of hope appear in her eyes. Before the guard could turn around to see me as well, I shot my hand out, forcing the tips of my finger to the edge of his jaw, putting an intense pressure upon the bone.

Jumping away in slight pain and shock, the man let go of the woman, who immediately gathered her skirts into her hand and ran down the street into the larger areas. Now that I had no reason to deal with this man, considering that I could do nothing more to him than press a few more pressure points, I decided that I had to get away. Turning upon my heel, I pushed myself into a fast walk away from the guard.

I heard his yells after me so stop where I was, and then I heard the sound of metal sliding against metal, and I felt myself tense slightly, throwing a glance back over my shoulder. The guard now had his sword out, stalking after me with a very pissed off look in his eyes. Apparently, he wasn't expecting to be disturbed during his pleasure hunt. I sighed internally, really not wanting to ensue in a chase, but I let my legs start to carry me faster and faster until I was running at full speed.

There must have been some training boosts in Florence the years before because the guard kept on my heels, and it really kind of bothered me. It looked like I would have to escape upon the roof-tops. How wonderful—it had been something that I hadn't really done over in Palestine.

As I bounded off of the crates that lead up to the roofs, I felt the cloth slip from around my face and flutter behind in the breeze. Even though I let my hand whip behind me to try and catch it, it was no use as it wavered down to the dusty ground. I didn't have any time to get it; it wouldn't be worth it anyway. Instead, I shifted my focus to pulling myself up onto the building, heaving myself up the wall with lurches and deep grunts.

Now upon the roofs with the free breeze pressing against my face, it didn't take too long to lose my cock-blocked friend. Although the guards had seemed to gain more speed, obviously climbing skills had been neglected. Soon, I just found myself taking a leisure stroll on the roofs of Florence, staring down into the streets with a small smile, loving the feel of being able to act like a complete child again. Tamair had taught me how to be composed so I wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb, but here in Florence—hell, everyone had already seen me before.

But even though being upon the familiar houses and buildings of _Firenze _brought me a sense of joy, it also sent me through a spiral of melancholy. Things had been so different back when I ran across the rooftops in my first memories—or rather, being _carried_ across the rooftops. It was strange to consider how much different I was now; I had went from a clueless and awestruck girl to a...to a...a what? Was I really any different in that sense? I knew I had grown more knowledgeable, but that didn't mean I wasn't clueless. At the thought of it, I also considered if I had changed physically. I remembered looking at myself in the mirror for the first time in the Auditore villa and then to the last time I had over in Palestine. Sure, my face had changed slightly and I might have grown a few inches, but I still had that immature and wondering gleam within my eye.

When I thought about it, I hadn't really grown up at all, no matter how many years had passed. And something told me that I never would.

I found myself standing on a flat roof, staring over the town with a blank look upon my face, lost deep in my thoughts.

The presence behind me was felt, but I still jumped out of shock when a voice came.

"Narina...?"

I would have normally whipped my head around to see who was addressing me, to see who had followed me up upon the roofs. I would have normally wanted to know who it was that was speaking around me in a language that I finally understood. However, I froze in my spot, my eyes widening as if on instinct.

I knew that voice anywhere, even if it had been years since I had last heard it.

Closing my eyes, I steeled myself for the overwhelming factors that could be forced upon me. A shiver bolted down my spine, and I found myself trembling slightly. Then slowly, I twisted my body around, letting out a deep breath and keeping my eyes closed for the moment. The unbearable weight appeared within my stomach again, telling me to run away, to get to a place where I was more comfortable. But I was tired of running. I just wanted to go home, and Ezio was a part of that home. Slowly, I opened my eyes and stared up into those golden eyes darkened by the familiar hood that I had missed greatly.

And I was taken aback at how much Ezio looked the same and yet so different at the same time. He still had the same posture—broad and grand, but tilted in a leisurely way enough so you could see that he didn't let things get to him as easily as others. He had the same tan skin; the same strong facial structures; the same robes that had become a part of him; the same pink welt that slashed across his lips. But those golden eyes held something different than what I remembered them to bear. They displayed a window that overlooked the bit of maturity that had found it's way into the man's personality. Underneath the shock and confusion that now filled them to the brim, the struggling years and the worries could all be judged within those golden orbs. A concern came into my perspective: was this man the same Ezio I had left behind years ago? Or did I not even know this man?

Even in my sudden worry and uncertainty, I felt the overpowering feeling of exultation mixed with relief and longing. Carefully, the young man took a step forward, his eyes widening even more, as if I became a new marvel at his closer proximity. I had been too preoccupied by studying his face, and I jumped slightly when I felt his hand brushing up against my cheek, the tips of his fingers just barely touching my skin as if to test if I was there. We stared into each others eyes intensely, trying to figure out if what we saw before us was a dream or not. His touch ran along my jaw softly, and when they did, a jolt of a small dose of surprise sped through my veins when I watched a small, almost unobtrusive smile graced his scared lips.

"Ah," he hummed, an odd look flickering in his eyes. "I'm going to wake up any moment now, aren't I?"

I blinked, the tears that had forming unknowingly in my eyes dripping over my lid and slowly making it's way down my cheek. "W-what?" I forced out in a whisper. He thought this was all just a dream? The realization roughly reminded me that Ezio had indeed thought that I _died_ years ago. "No...no!" I said in a breathy voice. "Ezio...!"

The smile faded and his brows furrowed, his head shaking side to side in measured movement. "Funny. I thought I had forgotten what you sounded like."

I felt suddenly desperate to get him to believe that I was real and very much alive. "Ezio," I said in a somewhat disappointed tone. "This isn't a dream! I'm really here!"

Not at all phased by my words, his eyes closed. "I'll wake up soon. Why do I torture myself like this: Dreaming of a long, lost past?"

Quickly growing tired of his calm form, I reached up to wipe at my eyes, before I took a hold of Ezio's hand that touched my face, letting the slant of my thumb press against his wrist bone while I twisted his arm away. Almost immediately, Ezio cried out in pain, attempting to pull away from my hold, but I continued to press into his pressure point, trying to make the point that he wasn't in any sort of dream.

Finally, after letting him tug at my hold, I let him go and watched with a firm face as rubbed at his wrist, complaints stringing out of his mouth.

"Damn, I think that's going to bruise," Ezio groaned, then shot another look up at me. "You've never hurt me in a dream before."

"_Non é un maledetto sogno, scemo_! (This is not a fucking dream, you idiot!)" I exclaimed loudly, then stopped and stared up into those golden eyes that I had longed to see for so long. Seeing the distant look in his eyes, I felt my eyes well up with tears, and I pressed my lips together to stop them from trembling with the sudden fear all of a sudden. But I wasn't just sad at his disbelief; I was almost mad about it, even though I knew he had a very good reason for his intrusting behavior. "I finally come crawling back to you," I said in a low voice, "and you can't even believe that I'm alive?" I sniffed loudly, reaching up to rub at my eyes again. "You can be such a prick sometimes!"

I'm not sure if it was because of my childish words (which felt great to finally exclaim once more), but something in either my actions or my words triggered the reality in Ezio's mind, and I soon found my face cradled in between his hands, all the prior melancholic visions within his eyes disappeared and dissolved into complete shock and utter confusion. And to my pleasure, relief and a small portion of joy.

Before I knew what had happened, I was in Ezio's arms, his breath pressed against the side of my head, his fingers tangled in my hair. He was so warm, and I pressed my face into his chest, against the hard armor that encased him. My hands pressed against his back, my arms wrapping around his lean waist.

"_Dio mio_," Ezio whispered. "Are you...is this..." It was a rare thing to watch Ezio struggle for words, and I was washed with another wave of emotion at the knowledge of it. Obviously not able to come up with anything, he just simply ended his mumbled with a tighter embrace and a low "Narina".

This was a much better reunion than I first thought it would be. Although I knew that I was going to have to explain myself later, I smiled in the small form of happiness that I could muster up.

I was back home. These were the arms I belonged in.

After a moment, Ezio held me away and looked down at me with wonder-filled eyes, a shadow of a smile on his lips. I could see only the surface of all of the questions he had in his eyes, and I was suddenly more than willing to explain it all to him.

But, alas, upon the rooftops in Florence wasn't the time or place for it.

"Hey! There they are!" Both of us snapped our heads in the direction of the voice. The guard that had been chasing me before was on the rooftop across the way, a whole other group of guards with him. Although I'm sure we could have easily taken them on, Ezio let go of me and took a few steps towards the edge of the roof, judging the distance to the roof down below. Then he turned back to me and held out his hand. "Come! Let's go quickly!"

I stared at his outstretched hand with wide eyes, somehow shocked at the thought that he was offering it. "But...but don't you want an explanation?" I wondered, holding my hands together.

Ezio looked over my shoulder to the guards who had started to find a route to the rooftop we were upon. "I do," Ezio breathed. "But I'm not going to let you go anytime soon. We have time to discuss it later!"

Finally, after trying to sift through my thoughts, I reached out and took a hold of Ezio's hand, his fingers wrapping around mine tightly as he pulled me towards him. Tucking me under his arm, Ezio jumped down the the lower roof, then guided me with a gentle hold of my hand down to the streets and into the shadows of the buildings, losing our pursuers in the winding streets of Firenze in only minutes.

Out of breath and wiping away the sweat on our faces, both of us sat on a bench in the northern part of town.

"It's hot today," Ezio huffed, reaching up and pulling away the hood to reveal his face, making me stare over at him carefully.

Once I had processed his words, I snorted loudly, shaking my head and rolling my eyes. "You think _this_ is hot? You, my friend, do not know what hot is!" The deserts were at _least _10 times worse than the summer head of Florence.

"And you _would_?" Ezio challenged, and I couldn't help but feel as though we had fallen back into a time before, when nothing really mattered. I smiled at the thought that he was already trying to start up a childish fight with me, even after only minutes of finding me after years. I was glad that part of him didn't change.

"I've had my fair share of sweltering lands," I admitted.

Ezio paused, shifting his gaze to the crowds in the area that we had ended up in. I could tell he had a question upon his lips, so I wasn't too surprised when he cleared his throat and held up his hand. "I'm guessing you learned that pressure point trick over in those sweltering lands as well?" I nodded. "Hm." He frowned, adverting his gaze, then lifting it back up to me. "Where...where did you go?"

The guilt stabbed me again and caused me to grow bashful and shameful. I looked away from the Assassin. "Um...you said that we could discuss that later, right?" He didn't say anything—I saw him just staring at me out of the corner of my eye. I would have to explain myself, or else I felt terrible about saying such a thing. "I mean, I think it would be more convenient if we waited until we got back to the Villa so I wouldn't have to explain it more than I have to." A small silence nestled between my words. "Um, that is if you're taking me back to Monteriggioni with you..."

He shook his head in a mocking way, making fun of me and my concern of being left alone. He reached out and placed his hand upon the top of my head. "Understandable. Besides, it seems like Florence isn't very welcoming on this fine day."

Finally, I looked back up to him, watching him closely as he reached back and pulled the hood over his head, as if he were distancing himself away from me until I explained the story later. After stretching and standing up, he looked back down at me on the bench, and I stared helplessly back up at him.

I swallowed back the fear. "Ezio, I'm really, really sorry about everything that I've put you through these past years. I can't even imagine how awful it must have been like." I bowed my head again, feeling another wave of tears to fill my eyes. "I'm so sorry."

He fell silent, staring down at me for a moment as if my words didn't make any sense to him, and I feared that he wouldn't ever accept my apologies for a long time. However, a hand cupped around my chin and forced me to look up, blinking back the tears in my eyes. When I looked up into his eyes, I saw the familiar gentleness that Ezio's eyes had always shined at me, but I could also see the questions and wondering within the gold as well.

"I am only happy to see you are safe and to know you are alive and well." I opened my mouth to reply to that, but Ezio's hand around my chin twisted about and pressed against my lips. He took a moment to feel them, enjoying the feel of the skin that he thought he would never be able to touch again, before he whispered, "Let's not worry about it right now. Let's go home."

A small smile crept it's way onto my face at his words, and I nodded. After claiming that I had left my stuff on the streets near the Auditore Palazzo, Ezio helped me stand from the bench, letting his fingers brush against my face one last time before he took a hold of my hand and led me down the street.

True to his word, he never let me go.

* * *

**So...yeah.  
_That_ was the reunion...  
*face palm * I failed it epically, I know... :C I'm so disappointed in myself. But I liked this idea better than what I had beforehand so yeah.  
If you want to yell at me, don't be afraid to.  
I probably could have added more to it to...but then I decided that the rest of the reunion can be in the next chapter. :3 It'll be fun! :D**

**Thanks to Kittenbell, my amazing Beta!  
And thanks to Betty for the translations! :D  
**

**Review and love! :3**


	32. Time Changes Things

**-Alrighty! Let's get this show on the roll! **

**Thanks for the reviews!:  
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* * *

_Would you mind if I hurt you?  
Understand that I need to?  
Wish that I had other choices  
__than to harm the one I love._

_- What Have You Done Now _by **Within Temptation**

* * *

**Chapter 31: Time Changes Things**

Now that I was back where I belonged it seemed foolish to me that I had been so scared about not being accepted back.

After we gathered the things I had left against the building, glancing through the bags briefly to see if there was anything missing, we wasted no time to make our way to the entry way of the city.

The stall helper retrieved my horse for me and Ezio helped me saddle the beast and strap on the packs I had. As I swung myself up into the saddle, Ezio whistled under his breath. "This is a fine horse," he commented, petting the horse's neck. "What's his name?"

I frowned. "I didn't give him one. I just thought that he wouldn't need one if he's one of the stall horses."

"Oh." Ezio's gloved hand ran over the horse's nose. "You know, there is nothing wrong with having a horse of your own—the men running the stables back in Monteriggioni could set him aside for only you."

I paused as I watched Ezio walk over to his own horse a dark mare. "I guess I could do that," I whispered.

With a small smile, Ezio swung up into the saddle. "Having your own horse to care for might let you keep him alive longer, seeing how horses just seem to die under you."

Noticing his teasing tone, I reached out and swung my open hand at him, catching his arm. "That's not nice, you know."

Rolling his eyes, Ezio clicked his tongue and his horse began to move forward. "I'm only saying it how it is," he said, throwing me an insincere smile. Urging my own horse forward, I ignored the assassin for the time being, making sure my bags were all in place and the painting stayed strapped to the saddle. Seeing that I wasn't going to play along, Ezio simply led the way down the road.

It was probably only a few minutes into the ride that Ezio turned to me, his teasing presence now gone. "I know we agreed to talk about where you were later," he started, making me look over at him, "but can you explain to me what all those papers in the bag are for?"

I felt like this was a way that I could defend myself in my disappearance, and I took a moment to try and figure out how to explain. "Well, you see, the main reason I went to Palestine was to-"

"Palestine!" Ezio exclaimed, cutting me off, while giving me a shocked/horrified/confused look. "Is...Isn't that across the sea?"

Sighing, I nodded. "Yes, but that's not what we're discussing right now." I forced myself to smile slyly. "It's good to know you know your geography, Ezio." I quickly continued with my explanation so that we didn't have to get into a squabble. "But anyway, I went over to Palestine because I was given the opportunity to go and uncover some information about the Assassin Order." Leading my horse to walk closer to Ezio's, I reached back into the pack and held them out to Ezio. "These are like the Codex Pages here in Italy. They hold a lot of information that I'm sure will help greatly."

Dropping the reins down to the saddle horn, Ezio took one of the documents and unrolled it, looking it over briefly. Then he turned to me without much of a look at the words as if he were too disturbed with something else to focus on the knowledge before him.

"Narina, you traveled all the way to Palestine by yourself?" He frowned. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Well, I never said that I went alone," I pointed out. "But like I was saying, we're not talking about this right now."

There was something strange in Ezio's eyes at my words; a form of an accusation, but the facade the assassin had put up made it cloudy and I couldn't tell if that's what it really was. "I'll explain it all later," I promised, reaching out and taking a hold of the document Ezio was holding before veering my horse away again. From there, I went into details about what the documents held within them—locations of the assassin tombs that had been kept in record, areas where more hidden assassin base lines could be found throughout Europe and even decoding charts that would help with the more important codex pages. I explained where all the information had come from, Ezio's own flesh and blood from back in the crusades. Soon, I had distracted Ezio from his earlier concern about the whole Palestine thing and he was intently pondering on the contents of the documents, reaching over into the bag to look over a few.

* * *

It was around noon when I realized that we were soon to be in Monteriggioni, and almost immediately, I had a mini panic-attack, my breaths stuttering and my limbs quivering.

Ezio cast me a double glance, his brow furrowing in concern. "Are you alright? You're suddenly pale."

I slowly nodded, reaching up and touching my face, trying to calm myself down. "Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine." Taking a deep breath, I sat up straight in the saddle and locked my eyes on the path before us, recognizing the small bend, knowing that once I was around it, I would be home. And even if it was odd, the thought made me feel queasy. Ezio apparently hadn't forgotten how I was over the years, because he didn't buy my words for a moment. But, as always, he just wasn't sure what had me bothered so—he just knew that I was.

When we went around the small bend in the path the town of Monteriggioni lay in my sights only a few minutes ride away. I couldn't comprehend the feeling that curled inside of my stomach making me want to vomit. The whole thing was getting old; the whole getting sick at just the thought of seeing bits of memories from the years before. Either I needed to just throw up and get it over with or I needed to suck it up and find comfort in the thought of being home.

Although I said it would have only taken two minutes to get to the town, it seemed like forever passed by in the small ride. The closer we drew to the city, the faster my heart seemed to pound in my chest despite my best efforts to try and calm it. I actually found my face flushed by the time we were approaching the stables, the queasiness coming back with a raging vengeance. As we came to a stop at the stables, I saw a man walk out from the stalls, approaching us quickly.

There was a punch in my gut as I stared at the man, looking over him carefully. My God! Was that really the same stable boy that had helped me years ago? He had grown into a young man now, a broad stance, his dark hair cropped short and his face now stronger and more mature.

As Ezio swung off of his horse, the man went to the horse's side to begin to take off the saddle. "Sir Ezio, it's good to see you back so soon," he said, making me bite back another form of shock. His voice was so much more different than I remembered.

And just like that, the boy's dark eyes landed on me and almost immediately they widened and his body went completely rigid, his arms half-way out to help Ezio unbuckle the horse. I simply stared back at him feeling shocked at the fact that things _had_ changed while I was away. Ever so suddenly, the man was on the other side of Ezio's horse and next to mine, his hand reaching up towards me; helping me down off the horse, I realized. Although I was hesitant at first, I let my reigns fall from my clenched hands and put my palm against the man's.

If possible, his eyes grew even wider as he helped me down off the horse. "_Dio Mio_," he whispered, staring down at me. Since when did he tower over me like that? "It is really you, _Signorina_ Narina!"

Almost automatically, I smiled softly. "Look at you. You've grown up."

There was a moment of silence before the man started to laugh out loud, reaching out and giving me a rough pat on the back. "Well, what do you know! You're actually alive!" That hurt a lot more than I'm sure he intended for it to. "Say, where did you disappear to? We looked for you everywhere, and I couldn't help but feel partially responsible since I helped you saddle up that night."

The second smile had to be forced. "Yeah, well, don't feel bad about it—it was my decision, not yours."

I have to thank Ezio for being able to get me out of situations that I didn't like to be in because he cleared his throat then and instructed the boy to come take care of the saddle, which the stall help attended to immediately. While he was distracted, Ezio walked over to my horse and helped me unbuckle the packs and the painting.

"Seems like you have to answer to a lot more people than you thought," Ezio hummed to me, offering to carry the heavier pack and the painting.

"Yeah." I shifted about on my feet, getting the pack over my shoulder in a more comfortable position. "And I'm more than ready to do so." Which was a bunch of bullshit—I just felt like passing out from worry of what the others would ask and demand; and more importantly, what their reactions would be.

It surprised me to see how much the city had changed when I walked through the front gates. I mean, it was still the same old Monteriggioni, but either it had been because I had been going withdrawals of what the city had looked like, or the city really had gotten cleaner and brighter, like the sun now hit the buildings in a way that the dust never allowed the beams to do so before.

Ezio noticed my wide-eyed speculation and even smiled a little. "Come now, Narina; Palestine has to have cities much bigger than Monteriggioni."

"They do," I explained, "but...none of them seemed as warm as Monteriggioni does."

"It all goes to the money that's put into it. Monteriggioni is a small town with a lot of money; other towns have to distribute their wealth across the city—that is, if they want the whole city to look nice," Ezio said, letting me know that renovations had indeed been a part of the change that I saw. Good. I had thought for a moment that I had gone crazy and was seeing things better than they seemed.

There was a warming sense as I walked through the city; curing a bit of my constricting tummy and making me feel slightly better about the whole ordeal. But of course, that kind of changed a little when I reached the stairs that ascended up into the Auditore villa's courtyard. I stared up at the large symbol, which almost looked foreign since I hadn't seen it that much over the years—the only time I had was the time Tamair and I broke into the bureau in Jerusalem and when we went over to Masayf for a few days.

Ezio watched me for a moment before he continued past me and up the stairs. I noticed then that the sound of metal clanging could be heard from up above. "Um," I whispered under my breath, suddenly stuck to the ground, watching Ezio walk up the stairs.

Ezio shocked me when he suddenly yelled out, "Mario! I've got a surprise for you!"

The words made my stomach drop. I suddenly wanted to tell Ezio to stop, to not tell anyone that I was here, ripping from my frozen state to stumble up the stairs after him in a poor attempt to try and stop him.

"Ezio! You've returned already!" I stopped at the words, at the voice. Mario...A shiver bolted through me. This was real, wasn't it? That boisterous voice could never let me feel as though I was dreaming. "What's the surprise, my boy?"

Ezio then turned around to look back down at me, seeing me frozen on the steps. "Well?" He said, holding out a hand. "Are you coming?"

I felt the color drain from my face but I slowly made my way up the stairs, reaching out for Ezio's hand. With a gentle tug, Ezio pulled me the rest of the way up the stairs revealing the front courtyard and training ring of the Villa. And in that training ring were Mario and Claudia, both of them flushed with obvious training that had been going on.

It was like the whole thing with Ezio all over again, at least for a little bit. Mario's eyes widened his mouth falling agape. He even blinked twice, shook his head, and then looked more intently at me. Claudia just stared at me with her round eyes, no form of emotion flitting within them.

Finally, I released the breath that I had held in, blinking back the tears that had formed in my eyes, flinging the pack over my shoulder so that I could place it down on the ground next to me. "Mario...?" I whispered, trying to keep my cool.

I thought that the same thing with Ezio would occur again; that Mario would think that I was a trick of the eye. But much to my surprise, Mario busted out in a grin, running to the side of the training ring while sheathing his sword. He flung himself over the edge, his laughter now joining with the grin. "Narina! Gracious Gods above, look at you!" I was surprised that he immediately threw a hug on me when he approached me. His rough pats belted against my shoulders before he held me out at an arms distance, looking at me with that glazed eye of his, the other filled with admiration. "You've grown a bit, haven't you? _Dio Mio!_ How have you been?"

Only confusion could be formed on my face as I stared at him. Why wasn't he scolding me for leaving? Why wasn't he asking me where I had been? The way he talked to me as though it was no big deal sort of bothered me in a way.

Before I could answer, Mario stepped aside and I was faced with Claudia, who had come over to the spot I stood as well. It saddened me further to see how different she was—she had grown into the childish face of hers quite well and was turning into a beautiful young lady. Well, as beautiful as she could get in the sweaty, ragged and baggy clothes she wore for training. She still had a somewhat distant look in her eyes but her touch that cupped around my face was soft, as if making sure I was no apparition. I was surprised that I didn't see it coming but my head was suddenly cocked to the right, my left cheek stinging with pain. She had just slapped me!

I knew she had every reason to do so but it pissed me off that she hadn't even given me the chance to explain before she assaulted me. I guess she _hadn't_ changed that much. In my sudden anger and annoyance, I didn't even think twice before I reached out and pinched the top of her ear—a point that would sting rather than cause pain. Claudia flinched away in slight shock, reaching up to hold her ear before she stared at me with wide eyes.

"I've got some new tricks up my sleeve," I said, with a small smile. "You might want to watch who you slap." Then I reached out and hugged her, knowing that somewhere deep inside, I was really happy that I could see her again. I broke the embrace, smirking at Claudia before pulling away, turning my attention up the stairs that led the rest of the way to the villa entrance, Ezio standing at the top of them.

Next to him was Maria, who was smiling brightly at me. She looked almost exactly the same as she had and that was somewhat of a comforting thought. Instead of having her approach me, I finally felt strong enough to do it myself. I was starting to gain confidence in the thought that I was really home. The mother met me half-way, walking down a few steps to meet my approach with open arms. The embrace she pulled me into was so comforting, so warm and kind that I knew that I had been forgiven even before I had explained myself.

"Narina, my dear child," she hummed, stroking my hair lovingly. "How long I have waited for your return and how much I have missed you. I never gave up hope that you would return back home. I knew you were out there." Her hold tightening, causing my face to push into her shoulder. "Welcome home, Narina."

That was the final straw. All the careful facades that I had put up to block out the pain and keep in the emotions fell sharply. I finally started to cry, suddenly so thankful, so amazed that this family had so readily accepted me back. They were much too kind! Kindness that I certainly did not deserve! As I cried in Maria's arms, thankful to be home, thankful to have such a loving family, Maria continued to stroke my hair softly, comforting me in her silence.

It was good to be home.

* * *

The excitement hit the villa soon after we had all went inside. Mario ordered for a feast, a party to celebrate that I was finally back home. Although I told him it wasn't necessary, I had forgotten that once an Auditore makes up their mind there was no changing it. The entire day, many of the workers inside of the villa rushed around, readying the house for the guests that would come that night. I could hear the buzz of excitement over the city—the lost woman had finally returned. I could just imagine how the people bustled around the city, the news spreading faster than a wild-fire.

Not exactly wanting the attention, I busied myself with finally taking a bath after months of going without one. Undressing in the bathing room, I threw my dirty clothes aside, one of the house maids who had prepared the bath for me picking them up to go and wash them, saying that she'd be back with a change of clothes for when I was done. The warm water felt so nice against my skin, washing away the sand and dirt in ribbons that trickled down my body. The scented oils that I lathered on my skin smelled so nice, so yummy and clean that I had to smile to myself at the thought. These were things that I hadn't really appreciated before, but now I saw what a blessing they were. To think—a simple bath could be just as luxurious as any riches could muster. Feeling completely better, I dried myself off and dressed myself with the dress (something I had gotten used to over in Jerusalem and didn't mind anymore) the woman had brought back for me.

It was sort of odd to consider the night that I left there was a party and the night I returned there was a party. I guess the only difference was that I didn't mind the second one as much as I had the first one, finding that the whole thing wasn't really that bad. A few people in the town greeted me that night, telling me that it was great to have me back and that none of them had lost hope. Even though I knew _that_ was complete bullshit spewing from their asses, I smiled at them in thanks anyways.

There seemed to be a sense of maturity about me now, like the years doing actual business straightened out my mind set and let me know when to behave appropriately. Instead of rejecting the party like I had done years before, I knew that it was fit to behave well, despite how much I thought it was unnecessary. And in the end, the party wasn't really based around me—it was more of a social party, just another one that would be thrown in the small town. It wasn't a formal occasion, but I still stayed in my dress anyways, thinking that it would be an eye-sore if I wore my baggy clothes. Besides, dresses had almost become a part of me now.

I'm not sure if it was because I decided to go for a positive approach on the whole ordeal, but the party seemed to end just as soon as it started and I found myself slightly disappointed since I had started to enjoy it a little bit. One by one, the guests left the villa, returning home with a great sense of excitement and carefree enjoyment. I watched them leave from up upon the top of the stairs, smiling softly to myself knowing that having such a wondrous and fun time was hardly to be seen when I was with Tamair.

Oh, that reminded me. I had to explain myself now, didn't I? Although I felt the desire to simply let everyone come up with their own conclusions, I had already told Mario that I would talk to all of them after the party was over. Full from the dinner only an hour before, I descended the stairs and turned into the architect room, taking a moment to look over the small scale version of Monteriggioni on the table, noticing the bit of renovations that had been added on the small buildings to show that change had taken place.

Claudia, who was briefly looking over the book, glanced back over her shoulder at me. I saw her movement and looked up at her.

"You ready?" I asked, leaving the table and approaching her.

Claudia turned back to the book. "The others are already waiting. I'll be in there in a bit—I just need to wrap up today's work." I nodded, patting her shoulder before sighing and walking through the door on the side of the room into Mario's office, where Maria, Mario, and Ezio were indeed waiting. They were all standing in a small circle and turned towards me when I walked into the room, their dark, Auditore eyes staring intently at me.

I cleared my throat, trying to find the composed girl that I sure as hell hoped I didn't leave behind in Palestine. "Well, I have to thank you all for such a wonderful welcome back." Only two of them softly smiled at me—the youngest face staying emotionless as he stared at me. I twisted my hands together, taking a deep breath. "Well, I guess the only way I can repay you back is to offer my apologies,"—I looked up to face their probing gazes—" and to explain just what happened." I saw the pack of documents over on Mario's desk, and I walked over to them, pulling a few of the papers out.

"I left for these," I said, pulling my tone of voice into a serious one that Tamair had always used with me when he was instructing me. "These documents are important factors in finding what the Assassins have set out to find—the tombs, the codex pages..." I paused. "Maybe even the Pieces of Eden."

I saw the excitement in Mario's eyes at the words, but I knew that he still wanted to know why I had left on such short notice. I took another short breath, noticing that Claudia took a step into the room, her dark eyes now also on me.

"You see, the reason that I...why I did...I didn't..." Ugh! Why was I struggling for the words?

Maria gave me a reassuring nod and a smile. "Just start from the beginning. From the party."

That gave me something to go by, and for the fourth time now, I explained the story, only now with great detail, a random sorry being thrown in after every three sentences.

Mario was astonished that it was Tamair who had taken me away, apparently remembering the man as a young boy who was lost in a place that was all too new for the child to handle. It surprised me when I said Tamair's name that Maria cocked her head in recognition too—I guess that she had helped Giovanni teach the boy about Italy as well. She commented that she had felt bad since she couldn't help much due to the fact that she had three young boys and a daughter of her own to take care of. I assured them that Tamair was completely grateful for all that they had done for him

I'm not sure how long we stayed up that night, discussing the matters of the documents, the reasons behind my decisions. However, at the end of the discussion, everyone seemed to have understood my reasoning and even forgave me for leaving without an official goodbye.

Even then, I felt obliged to apologize yet again. "I'm sorry for all the agony and pain that I have caused," I murmured with a bowed head.

"The only thing that matters now is the bright future you have given us with these documents!" Mario assured me, clapping his hand against my shoulder. He winked at me. "And that you're back now. The past is something that is beyond our reach in any case—there is nothing we can do to distort it and change it."

With that, I was pulled into a one-armed hug with Mario, then a warm embrace with Maria, who whispered her gratitude to see me safe once more to me. Claudia had left the room a while before, claiming that she had more work to attend to before going to bed, and Ezio had left some time during the explanation as well.

After the hugs, I smiled to them and bid them goodnight, telling them that I would see them in the morning before I pushed my way out the door that led to the back courtyard, letting the cool night air brush against my skin. Although I couldn't enjoy it for long, I realized, opening my eyes against the night to realize that I had a longing to go find Ezio and speak with him personally about the whole thing. I felt as though he needed to speak with me privately due to the fact that there were things that needed to be said just between us.

Something inside of me told me to climb up the building, to climb to the roof to get closer to those stars that were in the sky, the stars that I hadn't a chance to look upon for years. Without yet another thought, I was climbing up the side of the building, grunting while I pulled myself up, finding that I had become rusty with my climbing while I had learned my new skills. Almost as if it were on instinct, I climbed to the right side of the villa, pulling myself up onto the roof then walking over to the spot where I had usually watched the stars with Ezio. A little part of me was slightly disappointed that he wasn't sitting there and I knew somewhere deep inside of me that I had hoped he'd be waiting for me.

If he wasn't here...

I found myself turning to my left, staring at the small square of building that rose above the rest of the Villa; Ezio's room. Maybe he went to bed, and it was summer time—he usually left _one_ of those windows open. I'm not sure what my plan was; maybe to go and tell him through his barred windows that I wanted to talk to him so he should come out on the roof with me. So, naturally, I found myself walking over the roof towards the section of the building, intent on just finishing this whole 'coming-home' ordeal in one night. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed it, but...well, there's nothing I can do to change it.

When I was closer to the room, I noticed that all the shutters on the side I was on were closed tight, warding off the night cold and apparently a nosy Narina. I frowned at that and began to make my way down the slow decline of the roof, walking towards the direction of the front courtyard, keeping as close to the wall as I possibly could, keeping my eyes up on the windows. I stepped lightly on the tiles to make sure my approach would go unnoticed, so I could possibly try to poke a little fun and try to surprise him.

As I made my way to the corner of the building, I froze in my tracks when I looked around it. A figure was sitting at the edge of the roof, legs dangling down over the front face of the Villa, white clothes that glowed dimly in the moonlight draped over a broad figure. Just Ezio, I realized, relaxing, but staying silent and still in my spot next to the building, hoping that he hadn't heard me even though I was within a three feet radius from him.

"You make a horrible stealth assassin." I jumped at his voice, surprised that he knew that I was here without looking. "I heard you climbing up the wall with your noisy grumbles."

A pout graced my face, knowing that I had been caught long before I had started to play the game. "Well, gee, thanks!" I replied in a stark tone. When he didn't look at me, I walked over to his side, standing near the edge for a moment before I sat down next to him. "Look, I need to talk to you." His golden eyes were fixed over the town that was lain out before him, the hood upon his head darkening the stare. Still with no reply, I tilted my head at him as if trying to gain a better perspective of him. "Are you alright?" I asked lowly.

I watched his eyes deliberately harden before he turned towards me, staring at me for a quiet moment before saying "I'm just a little annoyed."

"Annoyed?" I frowned. "I come home after four years and all you can be is annoyed?" Even though I meant it in a completely joking way, I couldn't help but feel a little upset about it.

"I was happy to see you in Florence, remember?"

My brow rose. "And that's changed now?"

"Well, when I thought about it..." He paused. "Yeah. I'm annoyed now." The assassin assessed my questioning look before he elaborated. "Narina, why in the world would you leave without telling anybody — not even Leonardo or Antonio; if you had, we could have known where you were at least."

Now I was the one annoyed. Hadn't I already explained this to him? The rest of his family accepted it, so why couldn't he? Huffing loudly, I pushed myself up off of the roof to stand up and place my hands on my hips. "Look, I admitted that I regretted it. Isn't that enough for you?"

Ezio looked up at me with his composed face. "No; I want to know _why_."

I felt my teeth clench together tightly before I spat out, "Remember what you said to me that night? You told me that I was controlling your decisions!" I found myself growing angrier and angrier the more I thought about it, and I threw my arms out to exaggerate my point. "Hell, maybe I didn't want to tell anyone because I realized that I was controlling you and I didn't want any one doing that to me! If you can make your own decisions, then I can too!"

Ezio's face finally broke, and I could see the annoyance clear in his eyes mixed along with a form of anger that always formed whenever he was worked up about something. In a split second he stood up as straight and rigid as a blade, his expression presenting all of the built up emotions that he had gathered over the years. Before I knew it, he was walking towards me, his eyes dead set on me. "Clearly, some decisions are completely moronic and shouldn't even be considered!"

"Oh no!" I snapped back, trying to keep my stance broad. "Don't you _dare_ say that I wasted these four years! I went out and got those documents; documents that'll save you from wandering around aimlessly to look for shit!"

The lightning flashed in Ezio's honey eyes, sparking up a fire that I will never forget. "We searched aimlessly for years looking for _you_," he whispered in an acidic tone under his breath, his eyes narrowing into deadly slits. "The years you've saved us are already taken away."

I felt the wall behind me and found that I was pressed up back against the wall that supported Ezio's room. Just then I realized that I had been retreating from Ezio's towering figure. Although I knew the fires in his eyes were meant to scare me and make me cower in surrender, I held my stance, holding back my shoulders to brace myself against the wall. Ezio kept advancing towards me slowly, a grimace on his face as he stopped a few inches in front of me, allowing his heat to reach out and touch me through my clothes.

"How can you just leave? After all that we've done for you," he whispered in a deadly tone, reminding me of his Assassin side rather than his perverted and perky Ezio side. "You can't even comprehend how much torture and pain we've all gone through because you simply decided to take a little unannounced vacation."

I was furious. How could he blame this all on me, make me feel like I had done the wrong thing? Hadn't I helped out the order? Hadn't I retrieved information we would have never gotten otherwise? I wouldn't just let him stand there and say that I had knowingly abandoned them.

"Nothing was happening here in Italy," I snapped back. "What was I supposed to do-just sit here and suck on my thumb all these years? We can't afford that Ezio! We can't just be big babies and sit around and expect everything else to happen without us trying."

A gasp was ripped from my throat, my shoulders hunching up in a defensive stance as Ezio's fists suddenly slammed into the wall to the side of my head, turning his stance above me, threatening. His golden eyes flamed with so much anger that simply looking into them made me take a bit of that anger myself.

"How the fuck can you be so ungrateful!" He spat at me through his teeth. "We spent years looking for YOU, might I remind you. I spent _years_ telling myself that you were out there somewhere. You didn't even write to tell us that you were okay!"

Although he had me at that I felt a snarl appear on my face and my fists clenched at my sides. "You're not my master, Ezio! I don't need you to shadow over me my entire life!"

Ezio drew in a deep intake of air, clearly fed up with me, the leather glove on his right hand to my left side scrunching audibly in the night air as his fists wound even tighter.

Just as I was about to say something else about how angry I was, my mouth open to say the words, Ezio's nose was suddenly brushing against mine and my lips were sealed beneath his, his breath filling my head.

I had forgotten what it was like to kiss Ezio but I sure as hell didn't remember that he could be so rough in such a distant way. My head was cradled between his hands that held me so tightly as if he were afraid of letting me go, even though I knew that was not the case. When I tried to open my mouth and pull away from him, I felt his hot tongue fill the moist cave my open lips had presented.

No. NO! This wasn't how it was going to be. I had sat by and been man-handled long enough! Without so much as a second thought I reached up and grabbed Ezio's jaw, pressing my thumb into his pressure point while simultaneously pushing him away.

I wasn't the same Narina anymore. Kisses were no longer going to persuade me.

We just stared at each other for a moment, feeling the intensity spark between us, the compressed rage and anger overpowering the relief and elation that I was finally home and safe. In that stare, something was lost between us, like a certain trust had been broken and without another word Ezio took a step away, turning towards the edge of the roof before he looked down over the edge, judging the distance between him and the balcony that was just below.

Seeing that he was leaving, I was suddenly obliged to blurt something out at him—I wanted to hurt him, wanted him to know that due to his actions, I had been forced to do something I did not want to do (well, not at first anyways).

Just before Ezio could jump down to the balcony, I felt my voice bubble up in my throat.

"I had sex with him, you know."

There was a moment where it seemed as though time itself had stopped, neither of us seeming to breath or move or think, just frozen in one spot. I knew that Ezio had to have assumed that I was talking about the stranger-to-him Tamair. A person he didn't know, a random stranger that I had run off with—it suddenly didn't sound so fun now that he _watched_ it instead of instigating it.

Then he turned towards me slowly, his shadowed eyes widened in a form of shock and accusation, which I didn't care about at the moment, and the anger had finally waned a little. Fine. Go ahead and blame me all you want, Ezio. He looked as though he were going to say something but then stopped short as if he had thought better otherwise.

"Isn't it like you told me years ago, _oh wise one_?" I folded my arms and narrowed my gaze at him. "_No strings attached_, right?"

The shock rose dominate for a moment before they fell cold again, slimming in a glare. I'd had enough of this! I turned away, intent on climbing down off of the villa then going to sleep in my bed for the first time in forever. When I tried to walk away, however, my arm was caught in a hold, twisting me back around to face the effect of the man of whom I loved, his brows furrowed at me, his grip tight upon my limb.

Wordless, we stared into each other's eyes intently, trying to win the battle, trying to make points and concerns more clear.

And just like that, he let me go, dropping my hand before turning and finally dropping down over the edge of the roof and down into the balcony, slipping inside the building quickly.

I'm not sure how long I stood out on the roof, staring blankly over across the city, standing under the milky moonlight and the twinkling starlight. But I knew after a long moment of being lost in a whirlwind of emotions, I was finally faced with my idiocy that I had pinned to myself for years and years. Without hesitation, I cursed under my breath and I reached up and rubbed my face, my eyes, my forehead, trying to make the memory disappear already.

Not too long after, I climbed down the front of the building to enter the Villa through the front door and went straight to my bedroom, not even able to enjoy the feeling of being back before I crashed into the soft blankets and pillows, not even kicking my shoes off.

With my face buried in the pillows, I heard myself say out loud, "Way to go, Narina. Welcome back home, idiot."

* * *

**Oh DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA!  
I hate drama...which might explain why this chapter seemed off to me... :C**

**Sorry for the short chapter, but you have to understand that this is only half of what it was originally supposed to be. What I'm planning for the next chapter...I really didn't want to feel pressured to make it shorter by having seven pages before it. I want to make it as legit as I possibly can. And also, SporkedGamer was telling me that I try to pack too many things into one chapter and I started to feel bad...making you guys read all of that stuff in one go. :C So I apologize.**

**You have to understand that this will 'cause the _Romancy_ bits to come a little bit later, so I'm sorry for that.  
The fight? Ah, don't worry about it. ^^**

**OH! I was wondering...if I wanted to go to college for Creative Writing or stuff, do you think that would be a good idea or not?**

**Thanks for reading! :3**

**AND A BIG SPECIAL THANKS TO: HanashiNoSensu, who is kindly beta-ing since my last has lost contact with me. :D Thanks hun! :D  
**


	33. The Battle of Forli

**-Well, here is yet another chapter! :3 I'm sorry this took so long to finish but...eh. :3  
-I must apologize for the long wait. The Motherboard in my computer died and my computer basically died on me for about a week. I kind of pushed myself to get through last week without a computer, and since it was five years old, it wasn't worth fixing it. So, I am computerless now...well, aside from my dad's which I'm on right now. We were able to save my files from my hard-drive, so luckily my story was saved. Thanks for waiting so patiently!**

-**NOTE!: This is my version of the DLC, 'The Battle of Forli'. I know it's completely different than what you will read, but I never took the time to buy or watch or play this certain DLC so please don't complain if it's different. Okay? Thank you! :3**

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_So what if I never hold you?  
Or kiss your lips again?  
So I never want to leave you,  
and the memories of us to see.  
I beg don't leave me._

– "_Seize the Day_" by **Avenged Sevenfold

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**Chapter 32: The Battle of Forli  
**

A year passed and with it the need to apologize every second about my disappearance. The tension between Ezio and I didn't; even though it was never enough to resort us back to the way we had been before. In a way to explain it, we went from friends with benefits to just simple friends. I liked to think that we were mature enough to not let our squabbles get between us, although it still did. There always was the knowledge of uncertainty between the two of us whenever we were together, whether it just be eating at the same table or sitting outside during the evenings. In a way, it seemed that we went back to the times before I had ever confessed, before we had ever really started to take serious advances on one another. Only there was hardly any more flirting, and with the absence of it, I had begun to realize that shameless flirting and provocative tactics and such were a part of who we were—or rather, who we had been.

Indeed, there were times when I felt myself longing to go back to the days where Ezio and I could steal a simple kiss from each other without a second thought. But then there were the times that I really appreciated the fact that we had a small fight because it let me distance myself from Ezio to a point that I could see him as a whole person rather than just my close friend. As strange as it may be, pulling farther away was going to bring us closer in the long run.

As for the rest of the family, Mario and Maria went back with whatever it is they normally did; Maria temporarily took over managing the books while Claudia learned some basic steps from Mario and for a few months after that when I taught Claudia the basics of the pressure point deal. I could tell it had made Claudia sad that Ezio had been too busy to really contribute to her learning pattern, either always out of town to go visit the country-side or always loafing around town.

Oh, since we are mentioning Ezio's departures for the rest of Italy, I'm going to say here that he had been fucking the Countess of Forli for the past two years now. Well...okay, I didn't have any solid proof but I know that Ezio isn't riding all the way over to the port city just to say 'Hi, how are you doing?' When I pointed it out to him, he simply insisted that he was trying to help her through the disgruntling times of running a city, which was complete and utter bullshit to me. Caterina Sforza had run the city for a long period of time—I think she could keep at it for a few more years, right? Although I was hurt by that fact, I really didn't bother Ezio about it because after that night I told him I'd had sex with Tamair, he never brought it up again.

To clear things up, I never went with Ezio. Frankly, I was sick of traveling and I just really wanted to stay home forever and never leave ever again. Things were too nice in Monteriggioni compared to what I had gone through in Jerusalem with Tamair (of whom I missed greatly—he, too, had become a part of my everyday life. I just knew I couldn't have both parts—both him _and_ Ezio.)

Ezio knew I didn't want to travel, and so he never asked.

So when he came and woke me up early that late spring morning, I couldn't even believe he was actually trying to wake me up.

"Get out of my room," was my first response to him trying to shake me awake. "I'm trying to sleep!"

He tried to shake me awake once more before he took a hold of my shoulder and pulled me up out of bed. I managed to glare at him, although I couldn't exactly see much of him aside from the white he wore due to the fact that it was still pitch black outside—very early in the morning. Without giving him much of a chance, I pulled away, scrambled under the blanket a bit and started to kick my leg out at him trying to make him leave me alone while my face buried itself in my pillow. "It's too early, leave me alone." The leg thing was a bad idea due to the fact that his fingers were suddenly wrapped around my ankle. With a sharp tug, I was out of the bed and onto the floor in a heap of blankets and sheets, Ezio hovering over me with a small smirk on his face. I let my eyes narrow in my displeasure, the annoyance scrunching my face up into a weird pout.

"Now that you're out of bed," Ezio said in a warm, mocking tone, "we need to get ready to leave."

"Leave?" I grabbed the blanket and pulled it over my shoulders, trying to gain back the warmth that I had when I was sleeping moments ago. "Where the hell are we leaving to in the middle of the night?"

Ezio frowned at my actions and made a move to grab me and pull me up off of the floor. "We're going to Forli."

Immediately I went dead weight in Ezio's hold, taking him by complete surprise and making him lose his balance and almost tumble down to the floor with me, letting me drop back down onto the ground. "I'm not going to Forli," I said to him, looking up into his hood from my position on the floor. "I don't want to see you fuck someone in the ass, alright? I'd rather stay home."

The assassin, placid faced, took a step over me so that he had a leg on either side of my body before he squatted down over me and took a hold of me by my arm-pits. "You're going, and that's final."

I continued to let my body weight drag completely against his wishes, but he was still able to get me up off of the floor and flopped over his shoulder. Seeing that my tactic was no longer working, I shifted to kicking and squirming in his hold, protesting as he walked further into my room to open my clothes chest using one hand to flip through the cloths before finding me my traveling clothes—my more manly choices.

"Put me down!" I ordered, bashing my fists against his armored back, realizing suddenly that he was all suited up in his armor, ready to go already. "You can't make me go if I don't want to!"

Ezio had sat me down on the ground suddenly, pushing the clothes into my hands while bending over slightly to stare into my eyes intently. "Forli is under attack Narina," Ezio explained in a low voice. "Caterina has sent out a distress message asking for Mario's help to take her city back. I need you to come with me due to the fact that we want to save some of the men attacking for questioning—my skills lie in killing, not keeping men alive."

Although I now saw that it definitely wasn't what I had thought at first, I really didn't want to go running off to Forli to help some wench I hardly even knew. All I knew about her is that she was married, had kids, and yet she still was fucking the guy I loved. Although I supposed that was partially my fault due to the fact I wouldn't let him touch me let alone have _sex_ with me.

Finally, I sighed, flipping out the trousers that Ezio had given me before pulling them on up under my skirt. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to tell me this beforehand..."

"Sorry." Ezio threw me my boots from across the room, the leather thumping loudly against the tiled floor. "We just got the message a few hours ago and I've been spending my entire morning readying for battle. I figured I'd let you get your sleep considering you get grumpy if you don't rest."

Ignoring his jibe, I tied the pants about my hips then bent over to slip on the boots, waiting until Ezio left the room to put on the shirt. "As long as this isn't a battle that will last for months on end then I think I can deal with it." I paused, looking up at Ezio, letting my fingers tug and tighten the straps on my boots before buckling them.

Seeing that I was waiting for him to leave the room, he waved his hand through the air. "I'm going to stop by the Fabricator's to get the new armor that shipped in a few days ago—I suggest you do the same since we are going into battle. I'll meet you at the stables with Mario and his men."

I nodded, hopping on one foot to get the other boot snug against my foot. "Could you saddle up Guido for me then?"

Ezio nodded, knowing the name that I had given my horse (yes, I did decide to keep him and name him—and I loved him to death). "Fine, but you know how testy he can get."

"He just doesn't like you," I said with a small smile. "He knows you irritate me."

Ezio rolled his eyes then left the room, closing the door behind him. Flipping the night-dress over my head and throwing it in a clump to the corner, I warded off the cold by swiftly throwing on the tunic Ezio had picked out before reaching back into the chest to find the leather vest that I had from the first days of meeting the Auditores. Once I was dressed, belt about my waist with my hair tied back into a pony-tail, knowing that the spring ride would make me all sweaty I proceeded to leave my room.

* * *

As Ezio suggested, I stopped by the armorers and fitted myself with a small set of armor, making me weigh even more than I desired to but I managed to make my way out of the city gates, shoving the bread that I had grabbed from the kitchen before I left into my mouth, licking the crumbs from my fingers as I approached the men around the stables.

Guido was all saddled up, shifting on his heavy hoofs in angst before he saw my approach and immediately stopped resisting the hold Ezio had on his reigns. The assassin shook his head in a form of disgust at the fact that I could tame the beast with a simple glance before he jumped up onto his own horse, turning towards Mario (also suited up in heavy armor).

Our small yet strong force moved slowly the entire morning, guided by the moonlight and then the soon rising sun above the mountains in the east. It disgusted me to a degree when I considered that I hadn't actually watched the sun rise in a very, very long time and I didn't see why I had to now. Due to the slow rock of Guido under me, I had fallen asleep many times on the trip and if it weren't for Ezio's quick pinches to my arm to wake me, I would've tumbled off of the horse.

* * *

On the way over the mountains, Mario explained what our plan was—to finish this battle quickly then to return home. I was happy to see that he felt the same about the whole deal as I did; it was almost stupid that we had to ride our asses all the way from Tuscany to get over to the port city. Ezio seemed to be the only one who was really set to save the city—that Caterina chick must be a really good fuck in bed. But, in the long shot, I think we all went because we needed something to sort of spice up our spring—it had definitely been a slow year.

It was probably noon by the time we started the decent into the small valley that held Forli. When we approached the city, another group of riders approached us, one of them a woman side-saddle with light color hair; beautiful yet visibly stressed.

Caterina Sforza. I could tell by the way Ezio just seemed to straighten in his saddle (but then again, that might have just been my imagination). I also recognized her from years and years ago when I had first come to Forli with Ezio.

"You've arrived not a moment too late," she greeted, nodding to Mario. "I must thank you greatly for your aid on such short notice."

"Anytime." Mario grinned, obviously changing his mind about the whole deal after seeing how pretty Caterina was. I frowned. Apparently, all the male Auditores thought with their dicks.

"What's our status?" Ezio asked, breaking the silence that had settled between us.

Caterina straightened, creating the air of a great ruler about her. "The enemy has infiltrated the city and I have not the ability to try and separate them from my citizens—they are blending in quite well."

"What is it that they want?" I asked. "Why would they search this city?" I'm sure Venice was a much nicer target than little old Forli.

The Lady of Forli barely acknowledged me, throwing me a side-glance. "They've come for the Power of Eden. They insist that I hold one of the relics."

Mario was suddenly breathless, leaning forward on his perch. "Do you?"

Caterina shook her head slowly. "We shouldn't discuss this in the open. Let us return to a safe haven just outside of town and we will discuss our movement from there."

I had forgotten how _ugly_ Forli was. I mean, sure, it had its quirks that could make it a marvel to stare at, but, like I have said before, it was all just a bland and boring _gray_ color that seemed to suck the life out of everything around it. Not only that, but now everything was awry—the streets were deserted and the town was quiet, knowledge of the enemy inside the city quite evident.

Our small group followed Caterina's to a cluster of buildings a bit away from the city, the Countess obviously not wanting the risk of being eavesdropped on. The buildings were dirty and not exactly in mint condition. Guido gave me a wide-eyed warning as I tied him up to the small posts for horses at the edge of the buildings. To ease him, I patted his nose with my fingers, pressing my face against his neck before pulling away and quickly following after my comrades following the young Countess of Forli.

We walked a bit through the dingy buildings towering over us with their grayish colors before we all filed into a small building and inside we all made a small circle about the room to stare at Caterina with anticipation in our eyes. Let's get this over with so I can go back home and sleep.

Mario was the first to raise his voice. "_Signora_ Sforza..."

"_Ti prego_," Caterina said with a raised hand and a small smile. "You may call me Caterina."

With a small smirk, Mario nodded. "_Caterina_, you had mentioned something before about these men blending in with the crowds? Are they not regular enemies then?"

"No, none that I have seen before," Caterina turned towards the wall that bared a small bookshelf before she reached up and took one of the books, flipping through the pages. "These enemies are tricky. This is why I require your help."

"Where is your husband?" Ezio wondered aloud, making everyone turn towards him. "Shouldn't he be here helping you out as well?"

Caterina softly smiled and shook her head. "No. He left for business a few days ago, which is why I think these _bastardi_ attacked the city when they thought me defenseless." With a sharp laugh, Caterina shook her head leisurely.

"I see. May he return home safely then." I couldn't help but get the feeling that Ezio just basically asked if he could have sex with Caterina.

The basic of Ezio's words: "_Is your husband here?_"

What I basically heard: "_Can I fuck you or not_?"

I was probably just over-reacting, but oh well. Now wasn't the time or place to worry about it anyways. There was always time to bitch about it later.

"You also mentioned something about the pieces of Eden," I pointed out, bringing everyone back to the main focus. "Is there really one here?"

"And if so," Mario added on with earnest. "Where is it located?"

Caterina took a deep breath, gazing over the book in her hand casually. "You see, I _do_ have an artifact."

"_Magnifico!_" Mario exclaimed with a broad grin. "Where is it?"

"The thing is," Caterina continued, completely ignoring Mario's outburst, "it is inside of the city and they grow closer and closer to retrieving it themselves."

"Just great," I mumbled under my breath.

The one thing that Caterina heard from me all day were those little words I uttered and her head snapped towards me, her face composed but the look in her eyes sharp. "However, I have no idea if it's a working artifact or not."

Ezio finally spoke again. "What do you mean 'a working one'?"

"The one that I have does not emit power," the woman said, turning her gaze to Ezio, the sharpness dulling away. "I have tried to activate and harness the power but I cannot make the device work. It must have a key to it."

"Power doesn't have a _key_," I snapped, taking her words to heart for some reason. "People who can't handle it can't handle it."

"Narina..." My left arm was pinched, and I flinched away from Ezio. When I looked at him, his gaze was disapproving. "Enough." I rolled my eyes, but shut my trap. Caterina threw Ezio a thankful look while she put the book back on the shelf.

"What's the plan of action, then?" Mario asked.

"I came up with a plan during the night," the Lady announced, turning her leading gaze upon everyone in the room. "Mario, I want you and your men to guard the perimeter of the town. Make sure no one enters or leaves the town after we have entered ourselves, do you understand?" Mario nodded, and all of the mercenaries that we had brought along nodded as well. "My men can help you out with that as well." She then turned to me right then, her expression nothing but professional. "Narina, Ezio has informed me of your skill to drop a man to his knees."

I couldn't help but have one brow raise. _I'm not the only one to drop a man to his knees,_ I thought, bitterly remembering how many times Ezio came over to this very city to have a 'pleasure visit' with the Lady of Forli. But, deciding that if she could be nice about all of this, then I could be too.

"So you will come with me to scope out the city since we want to interrogate a few of these enemies. You'll help me find some."

"Right."

"And Ezio," an unnecessary smile, "You will go into the city and find their leader. Find out whatever information you can and if you have to, kill him."

"Got it."

"We'll start our attack whenever we are all ready, understand?" I'll admit—she had a wonderful sense of leadership. This, on a side note, proved my point further about Ezio coming to 'help her run the city'. She was obviously more than capable of taking care of herself and even a whole city.

* * *

A few hours were taken off, allowing the sun to rise into the sky even more, giving all of the mercenaries from both Monteriggioni and Forli to suit up for battle. I avoided everyone for the two hours, sitting on a crate far away from the rest of the group not really wanting to talk to either Ezio or Caterina, and Mario was much too busy for me to bug. So I guess I did a little meditation for preparation on having to deal with Caterina for the entire day...or weeks. It scared me to think that this small 'battle' might take a very long time.

"Narina." I turned around to find Caterina approaching me, Ezio at her side. Her gaze was pinned on me intently. "Are you ready to go?"

Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself up off of the crate, stretched out my arms and nodded. "Yeah. Let's take back Forli."

Caterina turned to Ezio briefly, nodding once. "We'll follow you into the city and we will break off from each other in the north-eastern square. I can imagine that their leader would be near the Villa in the northern town, so you will head that way."

"Narina, you will follow me through the town, between the buildings and everything, until we can find some of these men, and then—."

"I thought you said that they blended into the crowds," I pointed out, folding my arms. "Are we supposed to just 'find' them?"

Caterina took a small pause as if to dramatize her answer. "Because they want me to tell them where the artifact is. When they see me, they'll come out and attack us."

Made sense to me but a small part of me wanted to argue with her. I made myself hold it in so that I could unleash it all on Ezio later. "Alright. Let's go, then."

Everyone all set and ready, we all mounted our horses again and headed towards the quiet city. As we approached the front gates, something twisted inside of my stomach and I immediately knew that something bad was going to happen on this fine day. I suddenly wished that I had stayed home and slept in a little longer.

As Caterina instructed, Mario and many mercenaries surrounded the outside gates of Forli before we all entered. The Lady and I dismounted our horses, Guido giving Ezio a quick nip with his teeth to my small pleasure and we then waited until Ezio entered the town. I noticed that Ezio threw Caterina a weird look, a look that I surprisingly had never seen before. It was a mixture of a glare and mischievousness...or...or something. I couldn't describe it. Before I could ponder it any more, Ezio turned on his heel and jogged into the town, disappearing in the shadows of the buildings before I knew it.

We girls waited for a few moments, allowing Ezio to get a few minutes in front of us before Caterina waved me in to follow her. Turns out, the city wasn't exactly as quiet as I thought it would be. There were actually plenty of people walking around, chattering loudly. The markets were still up and running, the merchants still calling out their wares. This was going to be a lot harder than I had initially thought. Something told me that these men that we were looking for weren't just going to pop out of nowhere to attack us. She was trying to make this seem easier than it was really going to be.

* * *

Aside from Caterina, I didn't see any of our allies _or _enemies the entire day. It was boring as hell, too; just walking around the town wordlessly with a woman who I knew didn't like me to some degree. Like I said before, it wasn't just as simple as having the guys come out to us. We probably circled the city and went through every small street about three times throughout the entire day. I have probably never went so long without talking… well, besides the time I spent two weeks alone on a boat but I wasn't exactly _wanting _to talk to Caterina. The only reason I was being half pleasant was because Ezio got all butt hurt when I started being a smart-ass to his most recent fuck. Before I even knew it the sun started to disappear behind the mountains and still nothing had happened.

We had taken a small break, sitting on one of the benches in the town, as the sun started to set upon the far horizon.

"This...probably could have gone better," I sighed, leaning back against the building the bench was set in front of.

Slowly, Caterina nodded. "It doesn't make any sense to me," she murmured. "Before you had all came to my aid, they would have attacked me defiantly."

"Perhaps we'll have better chances at night? Maybe they rest during the day."

Now she shook her head. "No. They have alternating forces that each take turns for day and night." Caterina sighed, and pressed her hands to her face. "They have obviously seen our advance and have taken caution."

Well, duh. When you set a _whole force_ just outside of the city gates the enemies are sure to notice. I could feel my early morning starting to ware on me and I yawned loudly, taking in a deep daft of the chilly air. "Let's just stay through the night and see if it changes."

"Yes." Caterina stood from the bench, looking up over the rooftops. "Let's hope that Ezio has had better luck than we have."

* * *

Once again, I called it. Everything changed once the sun set and the waning moon lifted into the sky. The streets emptied as the people went to bed in their homes and the only thing lighting up the city now were dim candles in the streets. The Lady of Forli and I were walking around one of the main plaza's in the middle of town when I felt myself tense up in anticipation. No, I don't have ESP, but something told me that...something wasn't right. "Caterina, stop."

She did so but gave me a weird look. "What is it?"

I'm no assassin like Ezio but I looked around quietly at the darkened buildings trying to tune my ears to an inhuman level. Of course, that really didn't help any but it did allow me to be ready for our 'supposed-to-be' ambush.

The men suddenly dropped down from the buildings, silently but not without notice. Caterina immediately drew herself in a defensive stance, her dark eyes darting to the five men that surrounded us. They were all fully armed, covered in an assortment of armor. But they didn't look exactly like Templars or even guards for that matter. They actually looked like normal guys with a little bit of metal on their chests. They didn't _look _threatening but I knew better than to be fooled by looks.

Before I could even make any more of an observation, one of the men advanced towards me—_me! Not_ Caterina! The sword that he held in his hands was actually _not _raised in the air but down at his side as if he planned on not using it. It didn't make any sense to me but I didn't have to think twice about it; as soon as the man was close enough to me, I let myself twist about on my heel, bending at my waist to give myself enough room to give a hard thrust with my fingers into the man's jaw. As soon as I had followed through with my touch, the man fell down to his hands and knees, his sword dropped to the side.

I heard the activity behind me and whirled around, seeing Caterina face two of the men attacking her with their swords. I wasn't exactly sure where she had gotten it but Caterina now had a dagger in her hand and she sure as hell knew what she was doing with it. Immediately, I rushed to her aid, blocking the men's swings with my forearm, allowing myself an opening to press points in a number of places on the anatomy of my enemy.

I find it funny that Caterina and I—two _women—_totally kicked the asses of five other strong men. They were all soon lying on the ground; two were dead from Caterina's blade but three of them remained alive and conscious. I thought about bragging to them but Caterina twisted the blade in her hand and knelt over one of the conscious men, taking a hold of the front of his shirt while pressing the blade up to his throat.

"Tell me where you're leader is and why you have done this to my city?" Her voice was like acid and I suddenly realized that Caterina took great pride in her position as a leader. I remembered that she had a family, and even though she slept around with Ezio, I didn't think that meant she didn't love her children. Although her moves with Ezio were probably a little selfish but she is only human and Ezio is one hot piece of...

I was brought violently back to reality when the man held under Caterina's grasp made a deep noise in his throat then spit in Caterina's face, the saliva dripping down her cheek. I was surprised to notice that Caterina didn't even flinch, her glare still hard on his answering glare.

"I'll never tell," the man whispered in an acidic tone.

Without so much as a second thought, Caterina allowed the knife to slit into the man's throat, the man screaming out in pain before his eyes rolled back into his head. The Countess went to the next victim, pulling him up from the front of his shirt, once more pressing the blade to his neck.

"I'll ask again," Caterina growled the spit of the now-dead man still on her cheek. "Where is your leader?"

This man obviously was a younger lad, his dark eyes wet with tears. "Please," he whispered. "Please don't kill me."

"Then tell me where your leader is and I might consider keeping you alive."

Shakily, the boy swallowed back his fear and replied, "Y-y-you killed him. H-he's over there." We both looked over at where the man was pointing to one of the men Caterina had killed before we had started our interrogations. Caterina growled and pressed the blade harder against the man's skin while she looked at him.

"Don't you dare lie to me."

"Please!" The boy cried, holding his hands up shakily. "If-if you check his pockets, you'll find all the plans and maps of the city on him! Please, I have an expecting wife at home; please don't take me away from her." By now, the man was crying openly, making me feel uneasy since it was a rare sight to see a man cry. I figured that Caterina would find it pathetic, but it shocked me when she slowly pulled the blade away, staring at the man quietly before turning to me and nodding lightly.

"Check his body, Narina."

The lad must have hit a soft spot with the expecting mother and family thing. I was further reminded that she had a family of her own and she understood what it was like to have her family waiting for her.

I only paused for a moment to stare into her gaze but she snapped at my hesitation. "Search him now!" Immediately, I dropped to my knees and went to the fallen man the boy had pointed to, fumbling with his clothes and avoiding his empty gaze. I pressed my hands against his hips, feeling the packs that were strapped there before pulling them open and peering inside. Inside were a few pieces of paper and I pulled them out gingerly, unfolding them and looking over the contents. On one of the papers were words written out in a different language, possibly Arabic due to the fact the symbols looked very familiar. On the other was indeed a map of Forli, the spots and areas written out in Italian, the location of Caterina's home and...The imprisonment site of...the children? Caterina's children had been taken hostage?

I snapped my gaze up to Caterina's face, who was staring intently at me.

"Caterina," I started, not knowing what to say. "I didn't..."

"Give them here," she cut me off, holding out her hand. I knew she obviously didn't want to hear it from me, so I put my game face back on and looked over to the other man that had survived the attack. He wasn't moving, lying in a pool of blood. Obviously having bled to death, I turned my gaze on the man who was still quivering in Caterina's hold, his gaze on me intently as tears streamed down his cheeks. Slowly, I held out the papers I had found and gave them to Caterina, who briefly looked over them and then tugged the man towards her again in an angry manner, causing the man to whimper again.

"What do these documents say?" She demanded, holding them in a way so that he could see it. "Tell me now!"

Sniffing loudly, the man gasped for breath. "I-I don't know! I can't r-read Arabic!"

Caterina threw me a glance, showing me that she was growing tired of this game. Before I could respond to it, a loud, ear-splitting noise bolted through the air, making me cry out in shock and whip around to try and find where it had come from.

"What the hell was that?" I gasped, darting my eyes around everywhere they could catch onto.

"Guns." Both Caterina and I looked back down at the man, who had gained a bit of his dignity back and looked up at me in a serious matter. "I don't know much about our operation other than we were to obtain the artifact, but I do know that we imported weapons from Spain and France. Weapons that can shoot lead balls at the speed of light."

I looked over at Caterina again, in slight shock. "Guns?" I swallowed. "Do you think Ezio is in trouble, then?"

Caterina looked over at the dead leader, her eyes studying him. "Possibly." She suddenly pushed off of the ground and heaved the man up with her, pulling his hands behind his back so she could hold him. "Find him and tell him that we need to switch out tactics. We have killed their leader and the location of my family is now known. This battle can be won within a few hours. Bring him back here and we'll make our plan from there."

I nodded eagerly. "Alright."

Before I could run off down the streets in search of Ezio, the young man spoke up softly. "Miss, you best go to the plaza in the south-eastern town. That was the way your friend was heading and not to mention we have our guns-men lined along the roofs there. Run fast. His life is in danger."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I thanked him briefly, hoping he wasn't throwing me off in a final attempt to deny us and I calculated my directions and began to run through the streets, my feet pounding away under me. As I weaved through the streets, I kept my eyes out for my hooded assassin, looking for any sort of flash of white, trying my best to keep quiet so the enemies wouldn't hear me coming.

As I neared my destination, I found myself slowly, heaving in deep breaths to try and keep myself calm. I didn't want to run out into the plaza and expose myself so easily, so I stayed in the shadows of the tall buildings, breathing in a deep breath of the cool night air and pressed myself up against the wall, pacing myself like a snail even though I had no time to spare.

I peeked out into the plaza, relieved to see Ezio walking across the open space in his white robes. As I was about to walk out into the open area, something stopped me. Automatically and without a thought, my eyes fell upon the rooftops. What I saw normally wouldn't have made me worry; a man positioned on the roof, a normal guard. But when I remembered what the man had said about the imports of the guns from Spain and France, I suddenly realized that the "guard" on the roof had one of those guns in his hands and the tip of the barrel was pointed straight at Ezio. Ezio was going to get shot!

It happened so quickly. One moment, I was staring in complete horror at Ezio's back and then the next I was running towards him, yelling at him to stop, my hand reached out towards him. I wish he wouldn't have turned to face me, for then he wouldn't have seen what had happened right before his eyes.

As I was running, I suddenly found myself falling forward, my arms not able to catch me so I landed flat on my face, my breaths suddenly lodged in my throat. I couldn't hear anything for a sudden moment, one side of my face pressed into the ground, my eyes unfocused and my mind wondering again and again, "What's happening?"

Something strange happened then. I went calm, like my world had been slowed down. Then I was in strong arms, my vision suddenly allowing me to gaze up into Ezio's eyes filled with shock and…fear? This made no sense to me for I didn't feel hurt at all….

"Oh shit," Ezio was murmuring under his breath over and over again. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." His string of curses made no sense to me and I could only stare at him in a blank haze. Why was there blood on his clothes? Why was it fresh?

My attention was brought back to his face when his fingers touched my cheek, warm ooze placing itself from his fingers and onto my skin. "Narina, everything is going to be okay. Just…just stay calm and don't move." At first, I was further confused by his words.

But then I felt it. A small fire growing in my stomach, a furious pain that soon grew. At that point I could feel the warm, thick liquid seep out of me, dripping and bubbling around my stomach, making my clothes stick to my skin, my fingers unintentionally pressing against a gaping hole where the blood continued to seep from.

I had been _shot_.

I was dying.

With the mix of the pain and the knowledge I found myself crying, choking on my own breath that tried with great effort to relieve some of the pain that built so violently inside of me but the breaths were unable to do so, not able to pass the lump that had formed in my throat.

"Sh," Ezio whispered to me, looking completely hurt and worried, cupping his hand (which I had put the pieces together to know that they were covered with _my_ blood) around my face. "It's okay. It's going to be okay." I could feel the bullet hole go straight through my stomach, the flesh, meat, and organs all screaming out in an ungodly pain that seemed to rip me apart from the circumference of the bullet hole. I felt myself slipping, noticing that it was getting harder and harder to breathe and keep my eyes open.

The Assassin's forehead was pressed against mine, his golden eyes piercing into mine as his heavy breaths fell into the same rushed rhythm that mine were. When I felt his arms around me, I knew that this was to be the last time I could be in his arms. Choking on a sob, I managed to lift my arms enough to hold onto his arm, my limbs quivering as I stared up into his eyes.

Ezio shook his head slowly. "You can't die on me," he ordered in a whisper, begging, pleading. "You can't leave without helping me solve this puzzle we have on our hands. We have so much more we need to do together."

_Together_. That was the word that sent more tears to my eyes, more emotion to spiral down through me. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that this was as close to Ezio saying that he loved me as I was going to get. And I would take what I could get, especially now that I was staring death right in the face.

With the rest of what I had left of my energy, I gripped onto his arm harder and forced my eyes to stare up into his for a few more seconds.

"I told you that I didn't want to come to Forli," I managed to speak out in distinct, strangled words. Then my hand slipped from his arms and my eyesight dimmed dramatically.

The last thing that I felt was not the pain from the wound but Ezio's lips pressed against mine. What hurt was the pain of the knowledge that I'd never feel it again.

* * *

There was nothing but darkness. There was no light. There were no angels. Simply darkness. I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or not. I couldn't tell if my legs were under me. All I could feel was a slight throbbing pain in my back that streamed through my middle and then ended at my right side, another spout of searing pain. The bullet path was clear in my conscious; I just wasn't sure about anything else. When I breathed, I couldn't tell if my lungs filled with air…or was I even breathing? I had never before been in such a sea of uncertainty, even when I had forgotten mostly everything. Was I alive? Was I moving? Was I sitting down or standing up? Floating or drowning? I was no longer aware of my body, the subconscious feel of my limbs about me suddenly gone. I had to have been dead.

So…was this death? Was this what we were all waiting for? A never-ending vacuum of darkness, the complete lack of light? I knew somewhere deep inside of me that this was no death and that I knew what was happening, although I couldn't put my finger on it.

Then, in a strange burst of sense, I felt myself falling forward…no, being lifted up as if I had been laying down and a force pushed me up onto my feet, the tips of my toes bending downwards to try and find a surface to brace myself upon. Finding a smooth surface with my toes, my feet flattened on the cool surface, my weight sending a rough ripple across the surface, the ripple sending light in small waves that brightened immensely before my eyes. As I blinked to adjust them to the sudden change of light, the darkness around me began to morph into a city, the shadows becoming figures and lights, forming buildings and bridges, the sky, the water, the people.

In a state of confusion, I found myself standing in a group of men, of who were all shouting all in an excited manor. There words confused me:

_"Cosa succede?"_ One man said in astonishment.

_"Tutti idioti!"_ Another exclaimed. _"Spero che siano puniti dalle guardie!"_

I wasn't sure where I was or what was going on, but I had no control of my body. Although I felt as though I wanted to move forward in the crowd, I couldn't move...I wouldn't move. Then, on my body's own accord, I started to move forward, pushing through the crowd, apologies spewing from my mouth as I slipped between them. What was I doing? What was going on? I was so confused, but my body still knew what was happening. Something about the whole deal seemed very familiar, but...but I couldn't quite remember.

Finally, my hands pried apart two men and I broke through the edge of the crowd. My eyes scanned the area quickly, taking note of all the men that laid unconscious on the bridge, some groaning and moaning with blood pouring from noses and busted lips. My eyes locked on a more prominent figure, however, and I felt the need to gasp although my body didn't respond.

Standing above all the knocked out men, broad and slender, bloodied lips and around the age of seventeen was Ezio, one man held in his hold before the young man threw the knocked out man aside. Then he looked up at me, his golden eyes lit with youth and a pensiveness that I hadn't seen in a long while. I immediately took a hold of the image and kept it, knowing that this was the first time that I had met Ezio, seen him, something that I had forgotten in the beginning of this crazy adventure.

Before I knew it my eyes went fuzzy and my body fell forward, the cobblestone bridge that seemed to impend the doom of my face broke away from under me, casting me into the darkness again, making me flail about in the emptiness until I flattened out on a smooth surface again. Blinking a few times, the details fell into place, my body shaking with…laughter? Without a thought to do so, I was sitting up, my hand wiping at my eyes as two similar looking men were on the floor as well, laughing boisterously. The Auditore brothers…! Federico and Ezio! How I wanted to embrace them, but my body wouldn't listen to my desire. It seemed all too real, this memory that I was in. The light pouring through the windows, the echoes of our laughter, the warmth of the Auditore Villa just seeming to seep through me. The brightly decorated halls made me want to weep all anew for this past that I had momentarily lost sight of. But before I could latch onto it and live it once more, I was again cast into a sea of darkness, torn away from the bright memory.

I thought myself to be dying. It only made sense—people's lives flash before their eyes when they die, right? Well, that's not how it went.

The next thing I saw was _not_ from my lifetime.

In the rippling light, I found myself sitting upon a surface, my legs falling over an edge, I was suddenly in a land that I did not recognize at first, but on a closer analysis, it looked much like…Palestine? A memory of Tamair, I had thought, waiting for him to make his appearance. And just as such, with an involuntary turn of my head, I looked up into the hood of my traveling companion from years before…wait.

Wait.

That wasn't Tamair. The man standing next to me, staring over the cliff we were on, his dark eyes darting like a birds…he wasn't the man I knew. Before I could examine him closer, my head turned to the other side, looking up into the hood of another man.

…Ezio? No. Ezio's jaw wasn't as strong as that. Then who…?

The man who looked like Ezio turned to me suddenly, his golden eyes piercing into mine, telling me something that I couldn't comprehend. I was in shock all too suddenly.

This man wasn't Ezio. This man was Altair, Ezio's ancestor.

Then, after anticipating it for so long, I finally gasped and everything was pitched into darkness again. I waited for another weird image, although I was still miffed at what I had just seen.

...But I still remained in the darkness, but I now had control of my limbs, even though they still felt heavy. My head grew heavy and breathing got a little more difficult. There was a moment where I thought that...well, this was it. I was gone, dead.

* * *

Then, I was blinking, my eyes fluttering open to light, a great contrast that was as great as being blinded to gaining full sight of the sun. In my furious blinking, I started to realize that I was laying down on a bed, under a layer of blankets, my breaths falling from between my dry and cracked lips. When my eyes finally adjusted, I turned my head slowly, allowing my cheek to press into the pillow. First things first, I was in a room, finely decorated. Vast curtains covered the wall, a window, while candles placed around the room flickered and lit up the room immensely. At the side of the bed was a small table and on it plenty of rags either clean white or blotched with red. A bowl of water was at the side of the towels and a cup of water was to the side of that.

It was at that moment that I realized that I was alive.

In the next moment, I immediately pushed the blankets away from my torso, allowing my stomach to be revealed. I didn't even really notice that I was naked under the covers because it made sense when I saw my stomach. On the right side of my stomach was a rather large blotch of discolored skin, a large welt outlining the unmatched color. It looked as though...the skin had been burned! That was it! When I swallowed, I could taste a blandness that would come from having a sore throat for weeks. My fingers slowly traced the burned on skin, the contrast of the nerves feeling my fingertips when I switched from my skin to the burnt skin.

As I did so, I remembered that I had been shot through the left of my back then it bullet went through me and out my front-side. I felt suddenly tired once more and laid my head back against the pillow allowing a huff out of my lips. Despite how it looked on the outside, I felt completely fine on the inside—my guts or organs weren't screaming out in pain like I had remembered them doing when I was sitting in Ezio's arms.

Wait, Ezio? Where was he? Was he okay? What about the battle? Did we win?

How long had I been out for?

I tried to force my arms to push me up but they wobbled under my weight and refused to prop me up. When I opened my mouth to call out, my voice caught in my throat and would make even the slightest squeak. With nothing that I could do or say, I gingerly pulled the blankets back over me and allowed myself to stare at the ceiling until I fell into a small sleep.

I didn't fall into a slumber, for when the door opened, my eyes flew open and I instantly turned my head to see who walked in. The person wasn't anyone that I recognized or even knew but when she saw me staring at her like a wide-eyed owl, she gasped loudly and smiled broadly. "Oh, _Signorina_ Narina! You're awake!"

Still not grasping onto my speech, I only nodded softly.

"Are you hungry and thirsty?"

Another nod.

The woman was kind to me, obviously the one who had been assigned to see to my care. She got me thin porridge to eat so I wouldn't have to chew my food and had me drink some funny tasting water that I knew had some sort of healing property in it. She helped me hold the glass to my lips and spooned the food into my mouth, and for once, I didn't feel like a spoiled babe.

She talked to me softly, answering my unspoken questions.

"We won the battle, so you mustn't look so worried. Milady has taken her city back and her children are still safe. _Signore _Mario went back to Monteriggioni after a few days the battle ended while _Signore_ Ezio stayed here to keep an eye on the city getting back on her feet." A soft smile. "Not to mention, he's been terribly worried about you."

Finally I felt my chest heave. "Why?"

The woman looked at me surprised. "Why, you ask? Because you died, you silly girl!"

I felt my face fall into shock. "I _died_?"

"Si!" She took one of the cloths and dipped it in the bowl of water, wringing it out before placing it against my neck and cheek. "Your heart stopped beating long enough for all of us to assume the worst..." she paused, "And long enough for _Signore_ Ezio to turn into a man we were all surprised to see."

"What do you mean?" I asked after a small pause of my own.

The woman straightened from the bed and sighed. "The man you have seen was always a justified Ezio...perhaps you seen him during your first time with him." She looked at me. "But _Signore _Ezio turned into an Assassin. Not the one you normally know. He became a killer. A blade with a purpose that was of revenge. Your death did not bode well with him, my dear."

I knew her words were meant to scare me or make me feel as though I had lost touch with Ezio, and they did, but in a way I felt at ease, like I now knew that he would make sure I didn't die for nothing.

"Speaking of him, I'll have him come see you after breakfast is served."

"Why not right now?" I wondered, watching as the woman placed the glass of water to the side of the bed I could reach. "Surely, he wouldn't mind?"

"I'm afraid he would," she corrected with a small smile. "He spent the night with the Countess and it is too early in the morning for him to get up. Judging by the way it sounded, he has probably only had an hour of sleep so far."

My stomach suddenly didn't feel too good anymore. It was like a lead ball just seemed to drop inside of it, the weight reawakening the pain of my torn and ruined insides making me tear up a bit but I closed my eyes against them. "Oh, I see. That will be...fine then."

The woman left the room, leaving me alone while I cried in my pain that breached from my stomach like ivy that can crack through stone. Of course, I was just lying to myself when I say that the tears were a result from the mostly-healed wound. What they really came from was the thought that as soon as I was gone, Ezio went and slept with a woman. I didn't care if it was a stress reliever or what; it still hurt at the thought.

Soon, I fell asleep and what seemed like sooner, I was being lightly shaken awake and I didn't have to see who it was to know who was above me; I could tell by the warmth of his breath and the undertone of his breathy whispers for me to wake up.

I only woke up long enough for me to whisper back, "You smell like sex," before I tucked my head away from his sweet breath, and fell back into a deep slumber.

* * *

**LAME ASS ENDING I KNOW  
You don't have to tell me.**

**And sorry about making them fight a lot lately...next chapter will make up for that, I promise! :3  
Sorry that it was rushed. Once again, the next chapter will be better!**

**Once again, I'm sorry for the long wait! :C**

**Oh, and my plot is so obvious now. I just know it is!**

**:D PLEASE review for me please! :3 I promise I'll reply back! :D  
Thanks! :3 (and sorry for the grammar mistakes-my most recent Beta hasn't kept in contact with me. :C)**

BUT! :3 Here's a BIG thank you to my new beta, HanashiNoSensu! :3 Thanks again and again!  



	34. Il Carnevale Part 1

**-So, here's the next chapter! :D I AM SO EXCITED FOR IL CARNEVALE...NONE OF YOU HAVE NO IDEA! I have SOOO much ideas! Eeeee!  
-And sorry that it had to be in two parts...I decided if I put it all into one chapter, it would be WAY, WAY, WAY too long. :I So, we're just going to have to deal with it in two parts. :3 Okay? Okay.

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**Chapter 33: Il Carnevale (Part 1)**

About four days after I had woken up from my "death", I was able to lift myself up out of bed and make my way down through the halls of Caterina's house. The woman caring for me, Avelina, found me wandering around aimlessly and she immediately gasped and tried to make me go back to the room. I had to spend a few minutes convincing her that I was fine. However, when I walked down the stairs with her hanging on my elbow to support me, Ezio spotted me and the whole thing started all over again. It took me twice as long to convince him than it had taken to convince Avelina.

"I'm fine!" I said for the hundredth time, pushing away Ezio's reaching hands. "I feel okay!"

"Narina!" He scolded. "You had a ball of lead shoot through your stomach! You need to rest!"

"Look! I'm walking! I'm breathing!" I pulled up the front of the shirt I was wearing and pointed to the burnt splotch on my stomach. "It's healed up all nice! I'm fine, Ezio!"

"Narina, you spent a week on the verge of death _after_ actually dying! I don't think you're well enough to ride through the Italian mountains." He reached over and ripped away my grip on the shirt, covering my skin as if the mark held no proof of anything.

Although I wanted to argue with him, I held my tongue and instead gave him an extremely annoyed look.

He threw me an equal look. " I won't have you stressing yourself. You're little act scared the living shit out of me."

"And if I didn't do it, _you_ would probably be dead right now."

Something shifted in Ezio's gaze but before I could assess it, Avelina cleared her throat, "Ah, if you want, I could get you some clothes so that you can walk around a bit outside, Narina."

"Now that sounds nice."

Ezio frowned disapprovingly. "Fine. But I'm going with you."

"Oh yeah?" Avelina gestured for me to wait a moment and she left the room. "Are you sure that you don't want to stay here and have a supposed good time?"

Ezio was in no mood for teasing. "No. I'm going with you."

Rolling my eyes, I didn't say anything back, letting him momentarily win the battle. Although I was feeling better, I really wasn't feeling up to fighting Ezio.

After a few minutes, Ezio and I were walking down Forli streets, which were filled with more life than I had ever seen before. Even if the city was a depressing gray, everyone seemed to be smiling. It was a bright, sunny day, the sky clear and the birds chirping loudly as they twirled in the air. Of course, I couldn't really appreciate it all since Ezio insisted on having his hand at my elbow at all times just in case I 'suddenly couldn't go on'. Although it should have made me feel better, I still didn't like the thought of him babying me unnecessarily.

We were only able to go about ten minutes before Ezio insisted that we take a break and pulled me down onto one of the benches.

"I'm fine," I said again with even more annoyance in my voice, brushing away his hand from my arm.

"Why are you so upset lately?" Ezio wondered aloud, giving me a confused look. "I'm just trying to help."

"But I'm fine!" I insisted once more. "I don't need your help!"

Ezio fell silent for a moment, staring at me with his golden eyes as I tried to convince him that it was the truth. "Ah," he finally said, looking away and to the crowd that was before us. "You're mad about the whole sex with Caterina thing, aren't you?"

I raised my brow. Wow, he sure was extra perceptive today, wasn't he? Why the hell was it whatever I wanted him to notice, he didn't notice, but what didn't really matter he did? Men.

"No, that's not what I'm upset about." I frowned. "Why do you think that all I worry about is your penis?" It was wrong of me to say that, making it seem like the whole ordeal hadn't hurt, because it did. But it was true that it really _wasn't_ what I was mad about. "Look," I continued before he could answer. "I just want to know why."

"Why what?"

I looked away from his gaze, up to the bright sky, going through my mind to try and figure out what to say. "I want... to know why you went and had sex with her when I was...well, dying." I looked back to him, finding a complex look upon his face. "I mean, you said so yourself, I was on the verge of death... and yet you would blow me off to go have sex with a woman who is married and has children?" Frowning, I stopped. "I mean... I just want to know why."

It surprised me when Ezio sighed deeply and said, "it was harder than you think it would be."

"What was?" I wondered.

Ezio pursed his lips in thought, then looked down over at me with a solemn look in his eyes. "The reason why? _Because_ you were dying."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you remember when you thought I had died, right? Or rather, what it felt like when you waited for me to come back to the Ducale that one night."

Almost wanting to flinch at the remembrance of it, I slowly nodded.

"Narina, having you on the verge of death really stressed me out to a point where I couldn't take it anymore. I know that...well, since you have to deal with me, you know how stressful things can get." I couldn't help but give a half smile at his little joke. He grew serious once more though. "Narina, I was freaking out to a point where I couldn't sleep at night because I worried that if I went to sleep, I'd wake up and you would be dead. I forced myself to stay up at night just to make sure that you wouldn't fade in the darkness. Probably about two days before you woke up, Caterina offered me her... services. I was so sleep deprived, so worried, so stressed... I didn't really think twice about it." He paused for a brief moment. "I'm sorry."

I watched him reach up and rub his neck while he shook his head slowly, as if he had just revealed his biggest weakness. It was that moment that I realized just who Ezio was. He wasn't some horn-dog that fucked anything with two legs and boobs, he wasn't some awful assassin that killed for the blood. He was a man with a family to fight for, his life just as normal as anyone else more-or-less. I wasn't sure what it had been like throughout the years but there had been an expectation for Ezio to be a God of some sort; to be perfect in anyway, to be able to be accepted in any form.

Understand this: I _laugh_ at my earlier assumption of love.

Being so young, there was no way I could understand actual love. I had been too wrapped up in hormones and not enough in the actual understanding of what love really was. But now, hitting into my late twenties, staring up at my not-so-godly Ezio who had just basically admitted that he was all too human... I think I began to understand.

Slowly, I reached over and took a hold of his hand, squeezing his strong fingers with my own, smiling softly at him when he looked at me. "Look, I'm not mad about you sleeping with her technically. So you don't have to apologize." I paused. "So, what exactly happened after I got shot?"

"We hauled you back to Caterina's Villa and immediately got a doctor for you..." Ezio faded off, his fingers squeezing mine. "About ten minutes after we got you there, your heart stopped and the doctor announced you dead."

I remembered what Avelina had said about Ezio becoming 'a-man-they-all-had-never-seen-before'. "What did you do then?"

His head shook back and forth slowly. "I fell into this... this fit of rage that I'd only felt when I went to avenge my father." His eyes had locked onto nothing, staring blankly at the people's feet that walked by us. "I spent the entire night, searching the city, killing every single one I could find that was a part of the plan."

My brow raised. "Even the one we spared?" He didn't say anything, but I knew that his silence meant that no one was spared from Ezio's mission to kill them all. Letting his hand go, I stood up and stretched briefly. "Alright, let's head back. If it's possible, I want to leave Forli by tomorrow or the next day." Something suddenly hit me and I whirled about to stare down at Ezio. "Oh my God, what about Guido!"

Chuckling, Ezio stood as well, staring at me from under the shadow of his hood. "Don't worry. I've been forcing myself to endure his rather rude bites and nips to take care of him for you."

"Oh." I stared at him for a small moment before I smiled. "Thanks."

Just like we had done years and years before, what seemed like a _lifetime_ ago, Ezio grinned back at me and reached out to ruffle my hair with his gloved hand. Something about the blast from the past made me feel as though we were starting over in a way, and now I knew how to miss those God-awful bumps in the path.

When we went back to Caterina's Villa, I gladly let Ezio lead me with his guiding hand, him promising that we would leave the very next day. Upon our arrival, Caterina was standing there at the front door with two children who stared up at me with wide eyes. She thanked us for our help, introduced me to her children and then told us that we would have free access of all the ports in the city, giving us a free way over to Venice whenever we felt the need. We thanked her for the kindness and the hospitality, and the next morning we left the town and traveled back over the mountains.

As far as I was concerned, if I _ever_ saw Forli again, it would be far too soon.

* * *

**.:_One Year Later_:.**

I'll never forget the day that Ezio told me we would be attending the carnival in Venice. Not just because it's the event that changed everything between Ezio and I, but it was also because I had been embarrassed too many times to count over the three day period we spoke of _il carnevale._

How it started off? In embarrassment, of course.

I was taking a bath in my room for a change, wanting to soak in the warm water without having to hog up the bathing room. Since it was turning into the warmer seasons Claudia liked to have her ten baths a day (not really, but she still bathed a lot). The warm spring of 1486 did something to me. My periods slowed—sometimes all I could get out was one day of bleeding during those months. It had scared me but when I asked the _dottore_ about it, he told me that I had probably been too stressed and that I should try to relax. I never told Ezio about it. I knew that it would cause him to think that my gun-shot wound would have something to do with it. Hell, he thought every pain or ache that I had was a result of that damn wound! I thought that it had bothered me when it happened at first but it was a _pain_ to have to deal with it for a year!

Anyway, I had tried to slow myself down, tried to give myself time to relax. So I spent more time in my room, lounging about, reading books and some of the documents from Palestine. More baths were taken and I tried to avoid Ezio since we could never seem _not_ to get in a fight or argument about something whenever we managed to spend some time together.

So, on this fine, relaxing day, Ezio decided to tell me his news... by busting into my room without knocking. I just happened to be getting ready to dry myself at the moment, one foot out of the bath and the other still submerged in the water. With a loud 'whoosh' of the swinging door, Ezio stood in the frame, staring at me, who was—_AHEM—completely_ naked. His mouth had fallen half-way open, obviously about to say something but was now distracted to the point that his words had been lost. It took me a moment to comprehend the situation and when I did, my mind gave me two options:

Option One: _Get back in the tub and cover yourself with the water_!

Option Two: _Hurry up and get over to your bed to cover yourself with the blanket!_

I guess I couldn't make up my mind because when I reacted it was definitely _neither_ of those choices. What happened was that the leg outside of the tub tried to go back in while the one inside tried to fling out of the tub. Within a split second I found my legs bashing harshly against the side of the wooden tub before I started to fall over, arms flailing. Soon I was laying on the floor, naked, spread eagle, in a pool of warm bath water with the tipped tub lolling slightly on it's curved side, while I stared up at a completely amused Ezio; a grin on his strong face.

"Nice performance," he said teasingly, bent over with his hands on his knees to examine me on the floor. "Probably the best sight I've seen all day."

My mind caught up to me and with a few splashes I flailed around to get up but finally gave up and curled into a ball on my side, folding my arms over my chest while my legs twisted together. "_Get out of my room!_" I hissed, feeling my face pulse with the raw embarrassment that coursed through my entire person. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

Ezio rolled his eyes, gingerly stepped around the spreading puddle I had made before grabbing my desired towel from the chair in the room. "Calm down. It's not like it's anything I haven't seen before."

"Well, I still have my decency!" I snapped, looking over my shoulder to watch Ezio walk through the thin layer of water to me. "Just give me that towel and leave, you prick!"

When Ezio dangled the towel down in front of me, I reached up and violently snatched it out of his hold, pushing myself up into a sitting position while using the towel to cover the front half of me. From there I stood from the wet floor and faced Ezio keeping my naked backside from his eyes.

He wasn't even really watching me anymore; he was actually looking at some of the documents that I had out on my bed. "What are these?" He asked.

Momentarily glaring at him and putting aside the whole 'telling him to get out again', I walked over to my clothes chest and dug inside, "Um, can I ask why you're in here?"

His wide golden eyes met mine and then he shrugged nonchalantly, "I don't remember. You distracted me."

I threw a pair of slacks over my shoulder and dug further in the chest to try and find a shirt. "Charming," I spat, throwing him a harsh glare.

A grin plastered his face as his head bobbed up and down. "Yes, it was!"

"Ezio," I huffed as I found a shirt. Closing the chest I stood with the towel still held to my front, "what is it that you want?"

By then, Ezio had sat down on the edge of the bed and was staring over the papers, looking them over briefly, seeing that they were the translation documents Tamair had written out for me. "Um..." He faded off, putting the document in his hand back on the bed. "Oh." He turned towards me as I threw the shirt over my other shoulder. "You've heard of _il carnevale_, right?"

I really hadn't but I remembered hearing something about it a few years back when Claudia was talking to Maria one time. "Uh, I don't know. Why, is it so special?"

Ezio leaned back against my bed staring up at me, "It's the time where the people throw a festival in order to indulge themselves before Lent. You know, get's rid of all the good food so they can go without it for Lent."

My brow furrowed. "Wait...we're not doing this Lent, are we?"

"No," Ezio said with a grin. "So don't worry your pretty little head about not being able to eat. Besides, we've never done Lent before, so I don't see why we would start now."

"Well, I was just wondering." Finally, I pointed to the door. "Now get out, I need to get dressed."

"Wait, I haven't even told you why I've come in here." He stood up from the bed and I raised my brow at him. "Well, I was planning on going over to Venice for the Carnival," he explained. "I think it would be fun."

I blinked. Going to a fun Carnival would probably be nice and lower my stress level but then again... "We're not going for the fun, though, are we?"

Ezio grinned softly seeing that I realized the catch. "Well, not really. I figured out that the man who took over the Doge's place when we left Venice six years ago... What is his name? Oh, right, Marco— never comes out of his building...with _il carnevale_ as the only exception."

Slowly, I nodded. "I see. You swoop in and kill him then?"

"First, we need to find a suitable replacement for him unless we risk them putting another corrupted man into power."

"Great," I groaned. "That'll be fun to do."

"We'll have spare time during this mission," Ezio pointed out, making his way over to the door. "So, in that time, we can enjoy the Carnival; kick back and relax." A smirk curved his lips upwards. "You have been in need of relaxing, right?"

I frowned. "How do you...?"

"The doctor told me that your monthly bleeding has been messed up lately and told me to stop antagonizing you so much." He threw me an insincere shrug. "Sorry about that."

My blood drummed in embarrassment, my fists clenching at my side as I took a side-note to punch that doctor in the face the next time I saw him. Before I could reply, he was out the door and had it closed behind him. Leaving me standing alone in a puddle in the middle of my room, my cheeks red with blush, clothes tossed over my shoulder and merely a towel to cover the front of me.

* * *

Before I went to bed that night, Ezio came into my room and told me that we would be leaving the next day since the festivities had started the day before and they only lasted a week. It would take us a day to get there and then we would have the rest of the Carnival to try and take care of Marco Barbarigo who had been appointed Doge after Ezio had assassinated Carlo Grimaldi, and the former Doge had been poisoned. When I asked if we would be staying in Venice for long, Ezio shrugged and told me if we didn't use up the whole Carnival to kill Barbarigo than we would probably stay there for the rest of the celebration. How long we would stay there depended on what would happen after Marco was taken care of.

So, as I said, we left for Venice the next morning. Mario and Maria saw us off with good lucks and well wishes for our safety. I left Guido behind since I didn't want to leave him alone in Forli for however long we would be gone. We rode all day, keeping conversation to a minimum but still discussing what our plan would be when we got to Venice: we would stop by Leonardo's and have him look at a few codex pages that Ezio had found throughout the past six years then we'd go over and see if Antonio had anything for us to go by. Basically, we were just going to go with the flow until we figured out what the hell we were doing.

When we reached Forli it was well into the night, the trip having taken longer than it normal. Instead of staying the night there, on account of how much we _both_ hated the city now, we used the free boat rides to our advantage and boarded a boat to the city. We slept through the night during the ride and woke up about half an hour before the boat docked at Venice.

I remember the sight of the city as if it were yesterday but it was much different than usual. Although it was still beautiful in it's own way with the streets and buildings dressed up for the carnival it was absolutely breathtaking. As Ezio and I stepped off of the boat, I stared up at the bright streamers that were hung between the buildings and larger crowds than I had ever seen before walking through the streets. Just watching the people all around me smile and chatter I started to get the feel for the carnival as well.

"I've never been to anything like this!" I exalted to Ezio, grinning like a small child. "Look at all of these people!"

"They're the performers," Ezio told me, noticing that I was talking about the strangely dressed people.

"Why aren't they performing?"

"Well, the Carnival is mostly celebrated at night time," Ezio explained. "You see, the people who go to _il carnevale_, they wear masks so that people do not know who they are. It's like a masquerade, which is why we come here now."

"Oh?" Ezio had planned this out.

"Everyone here during _il Carnevale_ goes without a face. All we need to do is find me a mask so that I can move around Venice without the guards noticing me."

I had to give him props, that was pretty smart of him to do. "So, where do we buy the masks?"

Ezio took a hold of my elbow, bringing me back on track since I had gotten momentarily distracted with a stall filled with all sorts of trinkets and colorful and shiny things. "I was actually hoping that Leonardo would have something for me to wear."

I frowned up at him. "Well what about me?"

He paused for a moment, pulling me out of the way of a man carrying a crate. "We'll figure something out."

Although I was slightly upset about that, I felt more excited about seeing Leonardo again. It had been far too long. I felt like I hadn't seen him in a lifetime. Ezio and I walked through the floating city with him leading me beneath a caring hand since I, more often than not, became very distracted with all of the Carnival things placed throughout the plazas. Even when he knocked on Leonardo's workshop door, I was turned sideways watching a man dressed like a jester who was juggling objects in his hands.

Ezio had to literally pull me out of my daze and into the shop. Being so distracted and out of it, I actually tripped over my feet, stumbled and tumbled down to the ground, Ezio staring down at me and shaking his head slowly, a small smile on his face.

"Oh goodness, Narina." I was being pulled up from the ground by Leonardo, his hand gently brushing off the dirt from my back. "Are you okay?"

I blushed. "Yeah, I'm fine." The artist pulled me into a hug, patting my shoulder softly before he did the same to Ezio.

"Wow, it has been far too long, my friends!" Leonardo pulled both of us further into the shop, making sit down in front of the hearth. "What is it that you two need?" He asked, smiling brightly at us.

"First of all," Ezio said, reaching into his robes and bringing out a codex page that he had found during the four years of my leave. "I need you to look this over."

"Ah!" Leonardo took a hold of the rolled up paper and immediately unraveled it, looking it over with his wide, curious eyes. "More codex, hm?" I leaned back in my chair as Ezio and Leonardo both went over to the work table and laid out the page.

Eventually, I ended up over at the door of the shop and peeking out at all the pretty colors of the upcoming carnival, giggling quietly in excitement as the two men spent a good hour looking over the page and trying to figure out what it was said.

"_Magnifico!_" Leonardo exclaimed, making me jump in surprise and close the door as I turned around to look at them. "Ezio! Do you see this? It's a new design!" Leonardo glanced up excitedly into Ezio's hood. "It's a mechanism for your wrist—but it's not a blade!" He looked down at the paper again. "In fact, it looks like it's a firearm but only the size of a hummingbird!"

At the word of firearms I could almost feel my side begin to hurt again and I unintentionally touched the scar through my clothes.

"Is that even possible?" Ezio wondered.

"I have no idea." Leonardo lifted up the paper and grinned widely. "Let's build it and find out!" Excitedly, Leonardo began to go around his shop, gathering the materials in order to build the mechanism.

Ezio took that moment to approach me, his eye brows furrowing when he saw my fingers pressing into my side. "Does it hurt?" he asked in concern.

"No," I replied truthfully. "Not really. Firearms just make me remember what it was like."

Ezio paused, looked back at Leonardo sitting at the worktable all hunched over his newest project, then looked back at me. "What _was_ it like? I've never asked."

So, while Leonardo spent a good three hours building Ezio's hidden gun, I told Ezio what it had been like to die. I told him what I saw. He remembered the time that we were on the bridge together the first time that we met. It surprised me when he told me that I was being chased by the guards but that part hadn't come back to me. He wasn't at all surprised to hear about the one with Federico and him though—he said that I must really hold on to the memory if I saw it before death. As for the Altair one...I didn't tell him. I felt like it wasn't my place to tell him about it. We were in the middle of talking about what other memories I probably would have seen if I wouldn't have came back to life when Leonardo walked over to us; grinning widely.

"It is finished!" In his hand he held out a small contraption, a little attachment for Ezio's bracer.

"Ah, it looks wonderful!" Ezio chuckled, standing up from his seat and reaching out to take a hold of it.

I kept a wondering eye upon it. "Are you _sure_ that thing is a firearm? It looks so...so small and ineffective."

"Why don't you go test it out?" Leonardo pointed to a door in the back of the shop. "Go out back on the docks and have a little target practice."

"Alright." Ezio looked down at me, using his head to gesture me to follow him, we walked out the door onto the docks.

Ezio had me attach it since I had smaller fingers and once he made sure that it was on properly, he twisted the knob that allowed the contraption to work. Then, raising his hand up in the air, aiming at one of the posts that was in the water, his right hand pressed another knob on the contraption. In an earsplitting noise, the gun went off and in a flash I recollected something that I hadn't at the moment it had happened; the gunshot echoing through the plaza in Forli. A faint ghost of the pain pierced through me and without really thinking I threw myself at Ezio, crying out and burying my face in his chest.

The shot echoed through the buildings and the canals, then died out, my remembrances fading along with them. I took deep breaths trying to calm my heart down and soon I felt Ezio's arms around my shoulders; holding me to his torso.

"Narina?"

My breath caught in my throat and I choked out, "that was really, really loud."

His fingers started to rub lazy circles on my back through my clothes. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, my cheek rubbing roughly against his robes. "Yeah. Just...startled me, that's all."

There was a long moment where we just stood there, hugging each other, something that hadn't been done in forever it seemed. Ezio broke the small silence. "Do you need to wait inside?"

I pushed away from him, keeping my eyes down in embarrassment. "Yeah, that would probably be best."

Before I walked inside, Ezio called out to me, making me stop and look back at him. He held up his wrist, gesturing to the firearm. "If only I had this a year ago, I would have put those men through the same hell they put you through."

Smiling lightly at him, I thanked him in a nod, then pushed back inside of the shop. Closing the door behind me I leaned back against it long enough to hear the muffled sound of the next shot, the noise rattling the bones in my body. Shivering lightly, I went back into the shop to confront Leonardo.

"Ah, Narina!" He assessed my pale face. "Is everything alright? Did the firearm work?"

"The gun worked fine." I paused. "Do you need help finding this mask for Ezio?"

"_Si!_" Leonardo took a hold of my arm and had me follow him to the back of his shop. "Just look through the drawers here and we should be able to find something."

We spent about ten minutes looking for the mask, Leonardo finding it deep in one of the drawers, a triumphant smile upon his face. Ezio came back into the shop, a broad smile on his own that grew bigger when he saw that we had the mask ready for him.

When Ezio tried to put on the mask, he somehow ended up having difficulty with it; saying that it wouldn't fit to his face. So I stepped in and reached up to help him find a way that it would rest comfortably and snug against his cheek bones. The mask was dark and simple, it only covered the bridge of his nose and his eyes but it would have to do. It made him look more mysterious and threatening and I couldn't help but smile at him.

Leonardo leaned back against his work desk, watching Ezio and I carefully as we muttered little things to each other, fidgeting with the mask. "So, I'm sure that your return was just not to play with new toys, hm?"

"I'm afraid not," I breathed, pressing against the mask to see if it would poke into Ezio's skin anywhere.

"Is it about this terrible new Doge, Marco Babarigo?"

"_Si._" Ezio pulled away from me, obviously having gotten the mask in the right spot.

"Hm." Leonardo watched us again for a moment as I rolled my eyes, covered my face and commented on how a simple mask wasn't going to hide Ezio—the hood gave it all away. "You'll have to go speak with Antonio then," Leonardo said after a thought or two.

"I guess the next stop is the Ducale, then?"

"No. I've seen him quite a bit lately at...uh...a...mutual friend's in the Dorsodure district to the south. Look for him there."

"_Grazie_ for everything Leonardo." Ezio took a hold of Leonardo's shoulder, nodding and smiling at his friend before turning to me and using a flick of his head to suggest we go.

"When you get there, ask for Sister Teodora."

The name made me freeze, for I had heard it before. "Sister?" Ezio asked with a grin.

"Um." Leonardo paused, cleared his throat and continued. "Uh yes. In a way...Sister."

Right! I remembered with a smile and a small dose of sadness. Sister Teodora was the name that Tamair used to get us across to Venice! For some reason, I was really excited to meet her now. "Let's go, Ezio." I nodded to Leonardo "Thanks again, my friend."

"Any time," Leonardo responded with a small smile. "And you two make sure that you're safe—this is a big thing you're trying to accomplish."

"But we will accomplish it." With that, Ezio and I said our goodbyes once more and then left the workshop, heading to the southern districts. Once we entered the district, Ezio asked around a bit to learn where 'Sister Teodora's place was. It didn't even take that much time to be pointed out to the building.

When we approached it and my gaze settled upon the features of the building, I felt myself slow to a pace slower than Ezio's. The building...well, it certainly didn't look like a place for a "sister" to be in, that's for sure. I got over it quickly and rushed to catch up with Ezio, who was already turning the knob to enter the building. As soon as we walked in I realized that this wasn't exactly...what I had thought it would have been. Ezio closed the door behind him and looked around the room with me for a moment before nudging me with his knuckles and we both walked further in.

"Antonio, we need to talk," Ezio said out of the blue, walking past me to go to the left of the room. I followed him with my gaze and I finally saw our Thief friend sitting on a couch with two women who were fawning over him, giggling and drinking wine. At the sight, I realized that this was no Church for a sister...it was a whore house.

The wine-filled man on the couch stared at Ezio like he didn't know who it was. Ezio reached up and removed the mask and immediately Antonio grinned in recognition. "Ezio!" He laughed loudly, sloshing his wine over the sides of his cup, making me feel suddenly peeved and annoyed. "And the ever lovely Narina! Teodora! This is the..." the man busted into a fit of giggles again. "This is the most _talented _man in Italy with his fuckable partner!"

Pouting at him, feeling embarrassed when all the eyes in the room turned on me, I wriggled my fingers at him. "Yeah, it's nice to see you again too, Antonio."

Ezio ignored him and turned towards the woman who had been standing to the side of the couch. "_Madonna_," he greeted in a gentlemanly manner. The woman smiled softly and turned towards Ezio and I, revealing...well, a good portion of her breasts, that's what. While I suddenly felt uncomfortable and adverted my gaze, I could already see Ezio staring at her with that perverted grin on his lips, he replied "Ah..._Sister_ Teodora."

The woman nodded in acknowledgment and I caught her gaze to nod my hello as well before I looked back at Antonio.

Ezio chuckled under his breath and decided that he could be facetious. "I never thought you were much of the religious type." Both the girls and Antonio all laughed but I was suddenly in no mood to really giggle and have a fun time, despite how excited I had been for the Carnival.

"It depends on how you look at religion, my son," Teodora put in softly. "It's not only a man's soul that needs soothing."

Innuendos were no fun when I wasn't willing to be happy, so I frowned deeper and folded my arms at Antonio, who leaned forward and put his glass of wine on the table in front of the couch. "C'mon, Ezio! Sit down with us and relax! You've traveled far, no? Meet the girls, eh?" His hand slapped the exposed thigh of one of the girl's, causing a giggle to erupt from her lips.

I had had enough. "Ezio," I started, reaching out to grab onto his sleeve. "We don't have time for this and you know it."

"Narina!" Antonio scolded, frowning at me. "Let him have his fun! If you're not going to give him comfort, then let others do it! You torture him!"

Ignoring him, I turned to Ezio and gave him a hard look. "You know I'm right," I whispered, narrowing my eyes at him. The look he gave me made me huff and clench my jaw. "Fine. If you really want to, it's fine." I turned to Teodora before Ezio could say 'thank you' or anything. "Teodora, I wanted to talk to you about Tamair?"

I saw Ezio's jaw clench this time, obviously seeing that I was going to fight fire with fire. Teodora raised her brow at me. "Ah. You know of him?"

"Yes. I lived with him for four years. He mentioned you."

Teodora smiled. "I see. Come, sit down with me and tell me how he is doing."

There was a moment of pause where I stood there, thinking about what to do. I realized that I was digging myself a deeper hole, so I shook my head. "He is fine, but I believe that we really have no time for such things. Ezio and I have traveled to Venice for an important matter." I glanced up at Ezio and nodded. "The sooner we get it over with, the sooner we can play, I promise."

Finally, Ezio saw it my way and agreed with me. "Antonio, I trust you know why I'm here?"

Somehow the man sobered up a little, leaning forward to place his elbows on his knees. "I would think it would be to rid _Venezia_ of Marco Babarigo. But, really, Ezio, we've already done this! This new Templar Doge is a bigger _ass_ than the one before and he never leaves the Palazzo! There's hardly anything we can do."

"He never leaves that is... except for tonight." We all looked at Teodora, who nodded at all of us. "Marco would never miss the Carnival. As a matter of fact, he's throwing the biggest party of them all tonight." The woman folded her hands together. "But getting in is not so simple. You need a special golden mask for entry, and," she quickly put in before Ezio could say anything, "before you think of forging a mask, keep in mind that all of them are numbered specifically."

"Wonderful," Ezio and I sighed loudly at the same time, causing us to cast a weird look to each other.

"Fortunately," Teodora continued, "I have an idea. They are having a competition for someone to win a mask for entry into the party. Let's see if we can't win you a mask."

* * *

Teodora and Antonio decided to walk with us over to the plaza where the competition was to take place, wanting to see the Carnival as much as I did. When we all took a step outside, I was momentarily startled by loud noises bursting through the air and I flinched, reaching out for Ezio's arm and pulling myself to his side while I looked warily around.

Ezio chuckled at me, flexing his arm under my hold. "They're just fireworks, Narina."

"Fire what?"

"Look." I followed his finger that pointed up to the sky. What I saw made me gasp. There were lights exploding in the darkening sky, sending sparks in every direction, fluttering down through the air and dying out. "They're called fireworks."

I was too busy studying the lights, loving the explosions more and more every single time I watched one splinter across the sky, so that Ezio ended up having to lead me with his hand on my lower back so I wouldn't fall behind.

"Is there something you wish to ask me, Ezio?" Teodora asked out of nowhere, momentarily breaking me from my daze.

"You are a...sister of the church?"

"Si."

"And yet you run a Bordello?"

"And? I see no contradiction, really. How I choose to practice my faith—what I choose to do with my own body—is my business." I fell in and out of the conversation, picking up bits and parts between my intent stare on the so-called fireworks up in the sky. Basically, Teodora had been drawn to the church, but she saw that it was corrupted and thought that men needed to know how to love in order to reach salvation. That's what her and her girls did. "You see, it may not be traditional but men's hearts grow firmer in our care."

I heard the smile before I saw it. "Among other things, I am sure."

Frowning, I threw my elbow sharply into Ezio's side, automatically hitting one of the sensitive spots on his rib cage from training with Tamair and making him almost double over in pain. When he gave me an innocent look, I just threw him a small, annoyed look before gazing back up to the sky.

Finally, we ended up in the large area where the games were to start. There was a crowd standing in front of a big platform, all of them masked and smiling up at the man upon it, who was shouting out, "Ladies and Gentleman! Come one and come all! The games of _il Carnevale_ are about to begin! Do you have enough courage and strength to win a prize such as this?"

The man stepped aside and let another step forward who held up a mask that flashed gold in the exploding lights and the candles out in the street. "This year, like every other year, the Golden mask will allow entry into the Doge's party! Who will be the lucky winner? Come and compete! Whoever can prove themselves champion in four events on this lucky night shall be the Doge's personal guest tonight!"

"Well, there you go," Antonio said with a lopsided grin. "All you have to do is best some other competitor and you'll have this competition in the bag!"

Teodora smiled at Ezio and gestured to the Carnival around us. "You best get to it, Ezio. Antonio and I will be waiting back at the Bordello—come back when you are ready to hear the rest of our plan."

As Ezio watched them leave, I tore my gaze from the bursting lights and smiled up at him."Hey, I love these firework things! They're like flowers in the sky!"

"Did you hear what I have to do?" Ezio asked after smiling at my input.

"Yeah, something about having to win four events?"

"Do you want to watch me compete?"

I smiled softly and shrugged. "Sure, I guess. Can I watch the fireworks while you do so?"

Ezio pouted. "The whole point of _watching_ me compete is _watching me_."

"Oh." I busted up in a fit of giggles, all the joyfully dancing and celebrating people around me rubbing off on me. "Fine, then, I'll watch and cheer you on. Everyone needs a supporter!"

Ezio reached over and pinched my nose then ran his finger along my cheek. "And only Ezio is lucky enough to get a extremely pretty supporter." He winked, obviously feeling the excitement in the air as well.

"And only Narina is smart enough to know that's bullshit."

Seeing that I wasn't going to take the complement, Ezio shrugged and said, "Suit yourself."

"Save the charms for that event over there," I said, taking a hold of Ezio's hood and dragging it to the side to show him what I was talking about. There was a man calling out the test of charisma and charms. The competitors had to collect as many ribbons as they could from women in the district. Whoever had the most would win. "Come on, Ezio, knowing you, you can win this challenge with flying colors. Don't waste it on me, go put it to use."

It was strange telling him to actually forget about me and to go flirt with other women, but in a way, it felt nice too; sort of like a closure thing.

Before Ezio ran off, he leaned in towards me and smiled warmly as he pressed his lips to my forehead, making me flinch back and stare at him like he was crazy. He raised his brow and smirked softly, holding out his hand. "My ribbon, please?"

"Hey!" I pouted, pushing away his hand. "Ezio!" I tried my hardest to keep the smile off of my face. It obviously didn't work, because Ezio smirked his triumph and turned to go find women who actually did have ribbons.

As I watched him walk away, I slowly lifted my fingers up to my forehead. "Hm," I muttered under my breath, bringing my fingers down to look at them. Somehow, I felt disappointed.

* * *

**-If you don't get that last part, basically Narina is all butt-hurt because Ezio didn't kiss her on the lips.**

**The next part will probably be up within a week so please be patient with me! :D And if this chapter seemed rushed, please understand that this is originally only the first half of the chapter. :3 The good stuff comes in the next chapter. ^^  
**

**QUESTION OF THE DAY ( I haven't done this in forever!): How many of you want to have NarinaxEzio Sexy time in the next chapter? Should I actually write it out or just have it implied and not go into detail? It's all up to you, my readers! :3**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**

**And let's have another HUGE thank you to my Beta HanashiNoSensu! :3 Thanks again, dear!  
**


	35. Il Carnevale Part 2

**-Well, the voting (if that's what you wanna call it) was very obvious that most of you want smexy smex time. So, that's what you are getting! :D And I'm sure you all realize that because of it having sexy time that it took longer than normal. :3 Understandable, right? Right.  
-And seeing how long this chapter has turned out to be, I've decided that it was a really, really good thing that I split the Carnival in two. XD  
-This is the LONGEST fucking chapter that I have ever written. And when I say it's long...it's long.  
-And...*hides in corner* You guys really don't have any idea how scary it is for me to post this chapter up. I am deathly terrified of publicly posting my smut.**

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**Chapter 34: Il Carnevale (Part 2)**

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It was actually fun to watch Ezio woo girls. Some of the lines he used made me snicker and cover my face, wondering just how in the world anyone could fall for his crap. Within only a few minutes, though, Ezio had about eight ribbons. There was no question that he was going to win... Well, that's what I thought until I saw another man throwing some girl a sly grin and running his finger along her arm. I felt my gut twisted by competitiveness when I watched her give him her ribbon. Having just received another, Ezio charmingly thanked the woman who gave it to him, before I tore him away by yanking on his sleeve.

"We've got a problem," I growled as I pointed over at the man who was making another move. "You've got to step up your moves if we're going to win this thing."

Ezio nodded and then looked down at me, "What should I do? I'm trying my best."

I quickly looked him over and came up with an idea. I reached for the front of his robes where the large collars lay and pulled them open further to reveal his chest. Next, I opened up his hood a bit more to make his broad neck more visible.

"There!" I exclaimed with a grin, liking the way Ezio's skin flashed in the lights of the Carnival around us. "Sexiness is always a building factor!"

Looking down at what I did, Ezio raised a brow at me. "Narina..."

"Don't whine. Just go and don't let that guy catch up." I looked around swiftly, trying to find another girl. There was one blushing over by a low window with a whole group of girls around her. "Oh! There! There!" I pushed Ezio towards them, feeling that competitive nature I had not felt for a long time rise up once again.

Ezio looked as though he was going to say something to me, his eyes shimmering in the holes of his mask. Instead, he shook his head and jogged over to the girls. I refused to watch them all giggle and blush and surveyed the area for another girl. I ended up catching sight of the other man and watching him closely. He was receiving yet another ribbon and with a grin, he shoved it in a pack... that was bulging full! Jesus! How many did he have?

A moment later, Ezio approached me, grinning and holding up the four ribbons he'd received. "Eizo, we're going to lose."

"What?" Ezio looked around. "Why do you say that?"

"That guy," I pointed over to where he was, "has a _bag full_ of ribbons. He probably has _double_ of what we have."

Ezio threw a look at the man that I did not understand. "Damn, he's good."

"_Ezio!_ Now is not the time to be praising him!" Groaning, I rubbed my face. "How are we going to do this?"

"Calm down," reaching over and wrapping an arm around me, he smiled broadly under his hood. "You shouldn't stress yourself out, remember?"

I sighed in a rough huff. "But we—!"

"We've got this game in the bag," his smile turning into a grin as he pulled me closer into the nook under his arm. "Literally." Letting go of me, he reached down to unbuckle the pouch at his side. It was filled with ribbons he had already gotten. "Protect these with your life, don't give anyone anything." Putting the pouch in my hands and making me hold it close, he reached up and grabbed my shoulders, looking me in the eye. "Now listen to me Narina and listen well. I'm going to give you a chance to live _Il Carnevale_."

"What?" I was suddenly shaken up.

"You will _not_ give any of the ribbons away. No matter what, okay?"

"O-okay."

"Good." He looked over as the man was making another move. "Now I want you to slap me and scream." Before I could ask what he meant by that, his hands cupped my face and he pulled me forward, pressing his lips to mine. My heart to dropped in to my stomach and my eyes wided. I stood frozen, confused all to hell, when Ezio whispered against my lips. "Scream and slap me, Narina."

Though I was not sure what was happening, I shakily raised my hand and brought it sharply against Ezio's cheek. He definitely over exaggerated the power of the slap when he threw his head to the side and reached up to hold his face. When I noticed that everyone around took notice of Ezio's action, I realized what his plan was. Taking a deep breath, building up all of the anger, all of the annoyance, that I had pent up from Ezio over the past however many years, I clenched my fists and screamed, "WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN GET ALL OVER A GIRL LIKE THAT?"

The plan was working, everyone turned around to watch us and I noticed with great pleasure that our competitor had glanced at us as well. "I have dignity, you perverted fuck!" I spat loudly, holding the pouch close to my chest. "Not to mention, I have a family and a husband waiting for me at home! You have completely ruined my Carnival! Women are not your little fuck toys and you should be ashamed for even considering it! I mean, sure, you may have your charm but why do you insist on betraying those that love you! Those...those that would die for you!" I was panting by now, almost crying. "Everything that I've done for you...everything that we've been through... and you still...You're still able to betray my trust... betray everything that has been... that..." This was becoming too personal—if I did not shut up soon, then I—oh, too late. I started to cry.

I could not tell if the shock on Ezio's face was real or not. Rubbing roughly at my eyes, I topped off my rage by saying, "You're going to have to get your ribbons another way."

When my eyes were dry I looked up and Ezio was gone. In a panic, I looked around for him, only to see a sea of masked faces staring at my mask-less one. I clutched the pack closer to me, sniffling as I adverted my gaze to the ground, wondering what was to happen next.

I did not have to wonder long.

"Hey." I looked up at the deep voice, coming face to face with the man that I had watched charm all those women. He was a lot older than I had thought him to be, maybe mid-thirties, and his eyes were dark behind the finely decorated mask that covered his brow and forehead. "Are you fine, my lady?"

"Uh, yes. Yes." I pressed my lips together, feeling embarrassed for having just exploded in the middle of a celebration.

"That man certainly had no right to make you cry," he said with a grin, reaching out to hold my hand. I ripped it away, turning away from him. He was no different, he knew it and more importantly, I knew it.

"Look, I know your goal is to get all these ribbons from me," I growled. "That's the only reason you have approached me."

"Ah, maybe so, but now that I am here," the man said with a lopsided smile, "I can now see that you are extremely beautiful! That husband of your must be quite lucky."

"What husba—oh! Oh, right."

The man grinned wider. "How old are your children? You are so young."

"The eldest is six and the youngest is two," I said, pulling out random ages out of my ass. I paused, raising my eyebrow at the man. "Can I help you with anything else?"

"Well, there is still the competition."

"Why do you want the ribbons so bad?"

Smile faltering, the man glanced around briefly before leaning forward to me as if he were to tell a secret. "You see, young lady, I need to get into the Doge's party. Every year, I try my hardest to win the competitions so that I can finally meet the man that no one has met. You see, I..." The man went on and on, giving me full detail as to why he admired the Doge so much and I could not bring myself to tell him that the Doge would probably be dead by the end of the night. Finding out that he was quite the chatterbox, I soon found myself glancing around, distracting myself from his apparently intense story. When he started to use his hands to explain what he had gone through in order to meet the guy, I looked back to him and was shocked when I noticed a man approaching us from behind him; a smile under the shadow of a hood. It was Ezio! Before I could react further, the assassin raised a finger to his lips to tell me to be quiet, so I adverted my gaze back to the man in front of me and tried to seem intrigued with his story.

Ezio drew closer and when I saw him reaching out for the pack at the man's side, I realized just how I could help him now. Right when Ezio's gloved hand reached out, I pretended that I had been shoved by someone passing behind me and fell against the man, unbalancing him and creating a great enough distraction so that Ezio could grab the bag and meld back into the crowd.

"I'm sorry," I huffed, pushing away from the man and looking up at him. "I really am, because you're not getting any ribbons from me." I turned away, looking at him one last time. "I'm sorry, but you are no different than that hooded man. Excuse me."

Before he could protest or figure out that his bag was gone, I disappeared into the crowd, heading the way I had watched Ezio go. I did not have to go too far before my arm was seized and I was pulled into a nearby alleyway. Ezio grinning down at me in the shadows.

"Look at this," he held open the bag that he had stolen, revealing all different sorts of colored ribbons within. "There's no way we can lose now."

I smiled widely, and looked up, "You're smart, I'll give you that."

"Hey, Narina." Ezio reached out and took a hold of my arm, the other hand taking the pouch that had he had given me before.

"Hm?"

He surprised me when he pulled me to his side in a one armed hug. "Sorry, I made you cry."

The blush warmed my face. "I...I was acting!"

"I really do appreciate all that you've done for me," he continued, ignoring my input, "and I'm sorry that I make it seem that I don't care." His hold tightened. "But I bet it felt good to finally get it all off of your chest like that."

Finally, I let him win, and I sighed. "Yeah. It was fun hitting you too."

"Ah, you held back," he said with a grin, letting me go. "You've hit me harder before." Opening his pouch, he dumped it into the large bag that we had stolen. "Now that you have a clean slate that's just ready to be dirtied again," he huffed, closing the pack and holding on his hip, "let's go back and claim this game ours."

We started to walk back to the platform through the crowds in order to keep ourselves hidden just in case the man saw us together, for he surely noticed that his bag was gone now. The look on the face of the man running this portion of the competition when we showed him how many ribbons we had... was hysterical. He was so shocked and shaken up the he immediately ended the game and announced Ezio the winner.

"He has clearly shown himself a favorite of the ladies!" He claimed, elbowing Ezio in the ribs slyly. When Ezio smiled at the title all the women in the crowd around me giggled and sighed. Those who had given their ribbons to the other man were still clearly happy that he had won and I waited at the side of the platform for him to step down.

"What next, lover-boy?" I wondered, throwing him a grin.

Ezio began to lead me through the plazas in search of another man who was calling out for a challenge. "'Lover-boy'?" Ezio repeated. "You haven't called me that in forever."

"Old habits die hard, obviously."

After a short while, we finally found another beckoning all to come and play for a chance to win the prize. When Ezio and I approached, we were immediately welcomed, "The rules of the game are simple!" The man explained with a large smile. "Simply out run your opponent, take the flag from the middle of the field and then bring it back to your starting point to score. If your opposition holds the flag, you must steal it back! Do this three times and you will win the game and be that much closer to winning the prize!"

Another man had been waiting to the side for someone to play against him and Ezio nodded to him.

"May the best man win."

The man running the game pointed out the starting points and where the flag would be placed. I climbed up onto the roof with Ezio as he moved to his spot. A few buildings away was the opposing man.

"Remember," I told him as he stretched a bit, "keep your elbows in and take sharp corners if you're being chased." I reached up and patted his cheek. "No killing him."

"Of course not," Ezio agreed with a smile.

"Ready!" The game-runner announced from his point between the two starting points. "Set? GO!"

Ezio started in a dead sprint, flying over the roofs with his long strides, making the other man realize he was going to have to pick up the pace if he was going to win this. I followed behind slower, cheering him on, telling him to go for it. I stayed up on the roofs instead of jumping down when he descended to retrieve the flag, tucking it in his belt before dodging the other man's attempt at a tackle as he pulled himself up the building and left the other man in the dust.

Following Ezio back to the starting point, I cried out "SCORE!" when he stood at the starting point and held the flag above his head in triumph.

With one score down and two to go, there was a little break for the men to catch their breath, though Ezio did not really need it considering how fit he was.

"Keep your wits about you," I offered. "He knows just what to expect now."

"No problem," he grinned. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

The next race was much like the first, Ezio leaving the opponent in the dust. However, the third was different; the other man tried a different route and was able to retrieve the flag before Ezio could. Ezio, having gotten full of himself the first two times, was not able to get the flag back in time and lost the third round. Telling him that he needed to switch his game, I insisted that he try to read his opponent's actions to figure out what to do."

The next round, Ezio broke off in a sprint once more, gaining a little advantage over the not as fit opponent. Instead of actually just dropping down off of the last building, he jumped, heading straight for the flag positioned in the plaza and almost landed on top of it, grabbing it then taking off down one of the streets instead of climbing back up the building. I lost sight of him at that point, running to the edge of the roof to try catching a glimpse of him in the crowds below. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard him behind me. Spinning around, I saw that he had the flag, his teeth set in a brilliant grin.

"I win."

After Ezio was publicly congratulated for winning another game, we set out to find the third. The full feel of the Carnival finally hit me and I was now all giggly and blushing as I clung to Ezio's arm and stared at the fireworks. All of the lights, all of the music that was played by the performers and such. It had definitely been far too long since I had such a fun time, even if it was just simply walking through. Ezio seemed pleased that I was having so much fun, he was smiling down at me as I pointed out every little thing I found extravagant.

Soon we found the next game. It was a race to see if the record time could be beat. Since Ezio was a master free-runner, the challenge would be a piece of cake. It was silly because the man claimed that it was impossible but Ezio beat it with probably an extra thirty seconds to spare. A sense of exhilaration overtook me when they went to congratulate him again and I was cheering so loudly that it made my head spin.

"Over here, Ezio, over here!" I beckoned, taking a hold of his hand and pulling him towards yet another man calling out a game.

"Welcome all fighters!" The man called out. "There is only one rule to this game: no weapons! You must defeat your opponent in order to win!"

"Count me in," Ezio said to the man, grinning widely. After Ezio dropped all of his weapons so he would not be 'tempted', the man led us back to a square ring made of wood lowered into the harbor. Ezio dropped down in while I stayed on the surrounding rim, cheering him on.

There were competitors all around the rim as well, waiting for their turn to try to win against Ezio. After popping his knuckles and pounding his fists together, he put himself in a prepared stance for the first competitor. The man went down quickly, Ezio punching him once in the face and once in the gut. As I was cheering loudly, another man dropped down into the ring, fists raised. Ezio smirked at him and raised his fists as well. Both of them circled around, waiting for someone to make the first move, when finally Ezio noticed the man's terrible foot stance. With a step in towards him, he pushed his fist into the man's chest and set him off balance before using his heel to knock the man onto his back. With him prone, Ezio raised his boot and brought it down into the man's gut, forcing a howl to erupt from his lips and mark yet another one down.

Even though I winced at the sight of Ezio beating them, I continued to cheer loudly as another burly man dropping down into the ring. "Knock 'em dead Ezio!" I yelled to him. Almost as if on cue, Ezio dodged the man's swing at him, reached out, grabbed the man by his bowed head and brought his face into his knee. The force knocked the man back onto the ring with a broken nose.

_"Si!"_ I cheered loudly, grinning widely. "Ezio, _sei grande!_ (You are amazing!)"

I was so much into the victory that I almost didn't notice the men standing at the entryway of the ring. I recognized them from years ago—they were in league with the Templars, with Marco. I could not put my finger on their names but I heard the fatter one say, "Well now, this man thinks himself a champion." He raised a hand and placed it on the other man's shoulder. "Go on, Dante. Show him how sadly mistaken he is." The dark hair, bulky man walked forward and dropped down into the ring,

"You...Weak." The Dante person said slowly, obviously a result of some sort of brain damage. Ezio accepted that as a challenge and raised his fists again. I could sense a difference about the Assassin; he obviously knew that these men were Templars, which meant Ezio was not going to go easy despite the man's condition.

Dante threw the first punch. Ezio easily ducked down to dodge it and bounced back up to take the opening Dante had presented, punching the man square in the jaw. Dante was hardly affected though, only knocked back a bit before taking advantage of Ezio's opening. The dread dropped like a ball in my stomach, taking away all of my cheerfulness when I watched Ezio fall down to the ground after receiving a solid fist to his face. Luckily, he rolled over and climbed back up to his feet in one fluid motion, licking at his lip that was now busted and bleeding. My hand clamped over my mouth in anticipation as the two of them began to circle around each other, like two lions readying for battle. Dante swung his huge fists again. Ezio jumped back and tried to use that opening but Dante saw this one coming and blocked Ezio's punch, taking a hold of the Assassin by the back of the hood and bashing his fist into Ezio's face.

"EZIO!" I screamed, not wanting to see him go down this way, hoping to make him fight back. My outcry must have worked because with a bleeding nose and lip, Ezio reached up, took a hold of Dante's head and rammed his own against his enemy's, actually making the large man falter, staggering back on his feet a bit. Wiping at his face, Ezio took his chance and kneed Dante right in the gut, forcing him to his knees with the wind knocked out of him. Clearly wanting to finish this as soon as possible, Ezio took hold of man's head in his arms, yanking him up off the ground before pounding his own fist into Dante's face. The impact resounded even where I stood and I flinched with every hit.

Dante finally broke free and stumbled over to the edge of the ring to climb out, obviously done and defeated. He held his hand to his face while his front was covered in blood. Seeing that there were no more competitors, I immediately dropped down into the ring and ran up to Ezio, who was holding his face gingerly, his fingers covered in blood.

"Ezio," I whispered, reaching up to remove his hand so I could get a better look at the damage. "Oh God," I muttered when I saw his lip, busted wide open and already bruising and swelling, his nose now having one more little crook in it. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

Letting me fawn over him, Ezio nodded slightly, licking at his lips again. "No, I'm fine. I've had worse injuries." I undid the sash I had at my waist, ripped a strip off of it and wetted it with my tongue before I began to wipe away some of the blood on his chin. The blood was still pouring from his nose and I told him to tilt his head back—he was getting blood all over his robes. When I dabbed the cloth over the open wound on his lip, he sucked in a deep breath, tensing under me.

"Oh God, Ezio," I whispered, wetting the cloth again, tasting his blood briefly. "It looks nasty."

"Yeah, imagine how it feels," he muttered to me.

I would have replied with a snarky remark of my own but I was suddenly distracted with a line of guards that arrived at the ring with their swords drawn. My eyes widened with realization—that person and Dante allowed the guards to step into this! Ezio took notice of them too and reached up, taking a hold of my wrists and pushing me away from him.

"Get out of the ring," he ordered in a low voice.

"But Ezio..."

"Go." He gave me a soft push, making me run back over and climb out of the lower part.

"So this is the way it's going to be, huh?" Ezio called out, placing himself in a battle stance once more. I could clearly see that Ezio was fed up with this whole game. "Then bring it on." His assassin face was back, his game face no longer existent.

"Ezio, please be careful," I called out, realizing that he still did not have his weapons to fight.

"Don't worry about it." Ezio let the men surround him before he waited for one of them to attack, wanting to use their weapons against him. When the first one attacked, I knew that they were all dead. Ezio stopped the guards swing with a grip on his hand, twisting the blade away before stabbing the blade clear through him, killing that one and pushing him off the blade and onto the ground. The blood splattering on the ground noisily. Within seconds, all four of the guards were dead, lying in pools of their own blood. This time, I waited until Ezio climbed out of the ring, dropping the stolen weapon, before I hugged him.

"God!" I scolded. "You scared the living shit out of me!"

"It... Looks like you're our winner!" The man running the game said, reaching out and gingerly patting Ezio's shoulder.

"Ah, great," Ezio replied, rubbing at his nose to try popping it back in place.

"Stop it!" I whispered, brushing his hand away. "We need to go claim that mask now—let's go. Leave your nose alone!" Just when I thought he was walking beside me back to the platform where they would announce the mask winner, he reached up and, with a groan, cracked his nose back into place, causing a little flow of blood to trickle again. Slapping his hand as if he was a child, I used the cloth to wipe up the blood again.

When we got back to the platform, Ezio stood to the side as the man upon it announced the winner. "The winner of tonight has proved him self the strongest, the fastest, the best strategist, and obviously a favorite of the ladies. Ladies and Gentleman, our winner tonight is—!" Someone cleared their throat loudly, making the announcer stop, then restart. "Our winner tonight is Dante Moro!"

"What!" I squeaked, watching as the man Ezio just beat up walked up on the platform accepting the golden mask from his Templar friend.

"We'll see you tonight at the party, my friend!" The Templar man said, smiling broadly at Dante, who took the mask gingerly.

"Hey, wait!" I shouted; my voice all but lost over the cheers of the crowd. "They cheated! Hey!"

"Narina, stop." Ezio had taken a hold of my elbow, pulling me back since I went to advance up the platform.

"Stop?" I whipped around to look up at him. "Stop! Ezio, they cheated! You should have won!" I took a step forward, intent on scratching somebody's eyes out.

Ezio pulled me back again. "There's nothing we can do about it now! We just need to go back to Teodora's and figure out another way in!"

Seeing that I was not going to listen to him, Ezio picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, carrying me away from the crowd cheering for some little cheater-pants!

By the time we got back to Teodora's Bordello, I had calmed down a little and made Ezio put me down. When we walked inside, both Teodora and Antonio where waiting for us, looking up upon our arrival. They had already heard of the winner of the mask, and asked what had happened. As Ezio explained how they had been deceived, I sat him down on one of the sofas and used some of the medicine he had in his pouches to nurse over his busted lip, trying to keep it from getting an infection.

Once we were done with both the healing and the explanation, Ezio began to pace around the room, rubbing at his face since it was still stinging.

"Ezio..." I said, reaching out from my spot on the couch to try to get him to sit down.

"I'm sorry that things have turned out this way, Ezio. No one could have known about Silvio cheating as he did."

"We need to find another way in," Ezio muttered, pacing about in an even more frantic manner, his armor and weapons clanging loudly together.

"There is no other way in!" Antonio said loudly, throwing his arms up in the air. "This golden mask thing was our one way ticket in!"

Fed up with everyone complaining, I stood up from the couch. "Look, we know where Dante is heading to: the party. All we have to do is intercept him along the way and take the mask back."

"What and kill him?" Antonio challenged. "We can't do that; they would cancel the party and the Doge would go back in hiding if Dante was announced dead. We would have wasted our time...again!"

"Well, I don't see _you_ coming up with any ideas!" I snapped, glaring icy daggers at Antonio.

"Narina has it right," Teodora said slowly. "But we don't have to kill him to take the mask. Ezio, you can steal it off him. Quietly."

Ezio nodded. "Right. I'll go and find him now before the Doge's party starts. Then I could stop by Leonardo's right quick so he can unjam this new weapon."

"You broke it already?" I asked in shock, glancing down at his bracer.

Ignoring me, Ezio turned to Teodora. "I'll be back before I leave for the party if I have time. Keep Narina here so she doesn't go out and get herself killed—Silvio knows that she's with me."

"Right." I frowned at him making me stay here, but I guess I really did not want to cause him much trouble anymore. The fun was over; now was time for business. Besides, I did not want to feel all giddy anymore. Ezio then left the Bordello, briskly walking down the festive filled streets.

"So...wait!" I said before Antonio could leave the room in search of a good time. "If Ezio gets the mask, then that's all good for him...but how am _I_ going to get into the party?"

"Who said that you had to go to the party, too?" Antonio asked then gestured to himself. "I'm not going. Why do you have to?"

Huffing, I put my hands on my hips. "Ezio can't make decisions on his own—at least not any good ones! If he messes up on this mission, then he's screwed up his ass, and we all know it! I've got to be there to make sure he doesn't slip up!"

"Well, there's no way to get you in there, so I guess Ezio is just going to have to get used to being fucked up the ass!"

"Enough!" Teodora interrupted, placing a hand on Antonio's shoulder. "Yelling at each other will not solve the problem. Narina, there is a way that is available for you that we couldn't offer Ezio."

"Really!" I was excited. "What is it?"

_Ten Seconds Later…_

"NO!" I screamed loudly, backing away from Teodora. "No, no, no, no!" Antonio was staring at me, grinning widely.

"I like this idea!"

"No!" I said. "No! I don't!" I reached forward and took a hold of Teodora's hands, begging her with my gaze. "Teodora, there _must_ be another way!"

"Narina, it's not like you have to have to _actually_ be one!" The woman held my hands back. "All you would have to do is wear the outfit, swing your hips, and you can get in without a problem."

Groaning, I put my hands over my face. "Teodora, I am _not_ cut out to be a _courtesan_!"

"I beg to differ," Antonio put in.

"You!" I pointed at him, glaring at him. "You keep your mouth shut!"

"Narina, you are over-reacting!" Antonio said. "You won't have to suck any guard's dicks or anything! Just be pretty and you're into your party! Ezio can't do it without you, right?"

Rubbing the back of my neck, I began to pace the room like Ezio before me. "Look, I don't know...I just...I don't know!"

"My girls can make sure that you aren't taken advantage of, Narina," Teodora explained. "They can do all the work—you can just slip inside the party."

"But my...I've never let anyone see that much skin of mine before," I admitted sheepishly. "I mean, the only one who has seen me naked is Ezio...well, _and_ Tamair, but that's beside the point."

Teodora did not seem too surprised at that and continued to think. "There's a point in all of our lives, Narina, where we must make sacrifices. Showing a little skin will not kill you."

I thought about it, my pacing continuing rapidly, but it gradually slowed, and soon I was stopped. Taking a deep breath, I sighed loudly and let my shoulders drop in defeat. "Fine. I'll do it."

After nodding at me, the Sister called out, "Emiliana! Lucina! Come here!" Two courtesans came from the back room, smiling and giggling at Antonio before approaching Teodora. "I need you two here to dress up Narina here as one of you—as a courtesan."

"A new girl?" The one with flaming red hair, who I learned later was Emiliana, asked, smiling at me.

"No!" I said frantically, waving my hands in the air.

Teodora then explained the situation; wanting them to make me a whore and they would lead me to the party later. Both of them smiled at me once the explanation was over. "I trust you two can handle this responsibility?"

"Yes, ma'am," both of them said at the same time.

"And you mustn't let her be touched—Ezio would be upset."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now go dress her up."

Before I knew it, both of the girls grabbed me and dragged me back into the building, giggling uncontrollably. Before I was out of the front room, I gave Antonio a 'please help me!' look, but he just smiled at me and wiggled his brows.

The two girls dragged me into a small room, plopping me down in a chair, both of them rushing about the room, digging through drawers and pulling out a mirror to sit in front of me. I was faced with a terrified looking woman with wide blue eyes about to fall out of her head.

"Okay!" The brown hair girl said, smiling at me through the reflection. "First, we need to get you undressed and into uniform."

"Uh, do I have to get naked?" I wondered.

Both of them busted into a chorus of giggles, putting their heads together. "Yes you do, silly! Now come on! The sooner you undress yourself, the sooner this is over with."

Knowing they were right, I stood and gingerly began to undress, taking off my top first before pulling off my trousers and kicking my boots aside. It gave me comfort to know that they did not watch me do it; they were too busy finding me a dress and pins for my hair.

"Here," Emiliana said, walking in front of me, holding out a strange looking thing. "Put this on."

"What...is it?" I wondered, my arms folding over my chest.

"It's a corset," she said, reaching forward and yanking up on my arms, trying to get me to lift them up. "It'll make it so your breasts have more support in the dress."

"Wonderful," I muttered, raising my arms and allowing her to help pull it over my head and onto my body. It was skin tight, almost constricting, and it really did give my breasts some support.

"Oh! Look at you!" Lucina cooed, walking over with a dress in her arms. "You look wonderful!" Not taking the compliment, I simply stared at myself in the mirror, half-naked with two scantily dress woman fawning over me.

"Here are some undergarments," Lucina said, handing over a wad of cloth. I had not worn any myself—I hardly ever did since it seemed like too much trouble. "They used to me mine," she told me as I took a hold of them. "But don't worry—I washed them really good."

I forced myself to put on the underwear, shivering at the thought of where they had been and what they had soaked up in the past years.

"Okay, now put this on." Emiliana took a hold of the dress Lucina had and threw it over my head. The top stuck tightly to me while the skirts flew away from my legs. A large opening at the front of the dress left my crotch covered by only a small horizontal cloth fringed with lace. The opened frilled down my legs, allowing the pale skin to be seen.

"Pin her hair back," Lucina told Emiliana, "and I'll get the oils."

I twisted my head to look at them. "Oils?"

"To make you smell like a spring flower!" Lucina dug through the drawers of the vanity again while the other courtesan began to lift my hair up onto my head, pinning it back into a messy bun on the back of my head.

"I don't understand why I have to smell good if I'm really not going to be actually _doing _somebody."

"Well, we wouldn't want your cover blown," Lucina said, a bottle of oil in her hands as she walked back. "Now, take a deep breath! It's going to be cold." She dumped the oil out of the bottle and into her hand as I took a deep breath, then she reached over and plopped the blob of cool liquid on my chest, making me jump in slight shock before she began to run it over my skin, over what was exposed of my breasts, neck, shoulders, arms. I felt slightly violated but I did not want to make this any more difficult than it had to be. All of the hair that had been laid back against my neck and shoulders was now up on my head, not tickling my skin anymore, only a few strands around my face were free to hang. I was surprised again when they each took a hold of either of my cheeks and pinched them with their fingers, reddening my cheeks to make it look like I was blushing. They took the liberty then to "fluff" my boobs, pushing them together and making them look "just right".

"Ah, you make a wonderful courtesan!" Lucina said with a smile. "If you ever need a job, you should consider coming and joining us! You would make our church a lot of money."

"Thanks," I said dully, "but no thanks."

"Put these on now," Emiliana said, dropping a pair of those god-forsaken shoes in front of me. The heel on the shoes was higher than the pad for the toes was and I frowned at the sight of them, imagining myself falling flat on my face when wearing them. They helped me tie the strand up my calves, just like the way they were wearing theirs.

Once they had me dressed and, I'll admit, looking like a whore, they began to teach me how to act like one of them, to always smile and giggle and shake my hips and boobs and all this sort of rubbish that disgusted me in a way. Well, they actually taught me how to walk in the shoes first, and _then_ told me how I was supposed to feign being a courtesan.

* * *

They had spent about fifteen minutes fixing me up, and by the end of that time, I finally walked back out to the front room, hanging onto them for support so I would not fall over. As I walked to the middle of the room, Teodora and Antonio talking, they both turned at the sound of our footfall.

I swear Antonio's jaw hit the floor...either that or it was something else that I did not want to know. "Good God!" Antonio said, staring at me. "Is that really you, Narina?"

Just to prove it, I flipped him off and spat in his direction.

"Good." Teodora walked over and began to fiddle with the front of the dress, making me frown deeper. "It's convincing."

"You need to smile more," Antonio put in, done gawking. "Sway your hips."

I narrowed my eyes, but kept my mouth shut since I knew that he was right. "I'll smile when I have to." I turned my attention back to Teodora. "Is Ezio back yet?"

"No. He must still be at Leonardo's because the party hasn't started yet."

"I'm going to go look for him," I said, walking towards the door.

"Narina, you'll be raped!" Antonio objected, reaching out to stop me.

"Like hell, I will!" I responded. "I know a few tricks—I'll be fine. Look, I'll be the perfect little courtesan when the time comes, but right now I'll fight back."

"Then be safe, child," Teodora said, nodding. "And come back soon; Emiliana and Lucina are to take you to the party."

"Right." With that, I walked out of the door and back into the brightly lit streets of Venice, moving with the excitement of the Carnival.

I found it easier to walk in the shoes after I got the hang of them, and walking in the shoes automatically made my hips swing, so I did not have to think all that hard about it. I made my way back over to the artist's workshop, dodging the drunken men and the begging performers, the night air against my back and neck.

When I finally got to Leonardo's shop, I knocked on the door and took my entrance, walking into the room while calling out, "Leonardo? Are you here?"

"Narina?" The voice came from back in the workshop. "Is that you?"

"Yeah." I took a step further into the shop, looking around. "I'm looking for Ezio."

"Oh, you just missed him!" I hear his footsteps against the tiled floor, walking into the room I was in. "He stopped by to—." Leonardo abruptly stopped, and I turned to look at him standing in shock, staring at me. "Narina, why are you...why are you dressed like that."

"I'm going to a party," I said, shrugging an apology. "Dressing like a courtesan was the only way I could get in."

"Ah." He relaxed again, walking up towards me. "As for Ezio, he just left to go meet someone."

"Oh?" I leaned back against his worktable. "Who? He's got a mission to do, so hopefully, it won't take that long."

"Ah, but it might." Leonardo shifted uncomfortably on his feet before reaching over and pulling me up straight, telling me that I should not lean back anymore, and I knew that I had just accidentally flashed him. Thank God, Lucina gave me underwear. "You see, Cristina Vespucci is in town. Ezio went to go see her."

"Cristina? Really?" I did not know how I wanted to feel about it. I mean, she _was_ Ezio's long lost love from Florence years ago, and even though that made her my rival, I still felt almost...well, I do not know, happy for Ezio. If seeing Cristina is what made him happy, then I guess it made me happy too. Strange how love does that—makes you want someone all for yourself but then you want them to be happy too—makes you totally selfish and selfless at the same time.

"_Si_. I think he mentioned something about meeting her in the plaza just north of here. Perhaps you can find them there?"

"Okay." I bent over, untying the shoes and kicking them off. "I'm going to leave these here. I'll be back. Thanks Leonardo."

Before the artist to say otherwise, I was out the door and running through the streets of Venice once more, my bare toes bracing against the cold cobblestone. The music and lights grew louder when I got to the Plaza Leonardo was referring to, many people dancing and bustling about. I looked over the sea of heads, trying to find the familiar hood before I began to push my way through the crowd.

I spent a good five minutes in the center of the crowd, overlooking the colorful masks and the rush of the dancing, until I spotted what I was looking for; a white hood bobbing above the crowd. "Ezio," I breathed, pushing faster, following after the hood. I finally saw him, walking away from me, and I about called out to him, breaking free of the crowd until I saw what he was headed for.

At the mouth of an alleyway not too far away was the Florentine beauty, Cristina Vespucci. Upon seeing Ezio approach her, she smiled brightly, and held out her hand for him to grab it. Ezio pulled her to him after taking her hand, twisting her around, making her giggle, before he pushed her up against the nearby wall, bending his head to press his lips to hers.

The sight made my heart stop it seemed, and I felt myself stop mid-step. Now I _really_ did not know how to feel. All I knew was that I was leaning more towards the selfish side than the selfless side, but I fought against it as much as I could. I heard Ezio say her name softly, holding himself closer to her, sending me into further uncertainty. Maybe I should just leave and let them be...but I really wanted to stay and watch, even if it hurt more than it made me feel at ease.

Then, I heard Cristina laugh under her breath and say, "Manfredo! When did you become so romantic?" That made me gasp in shock. Ezio...Ezio tricked her! She thought he was her husband! Now I just felt more angry, but more for Cristina's sake than for my own. Ezio shushed her, and continued to kiss her deeply, every particle of spit swapped making me even angrier. I had half of mind to march right over there and rip off Ezio's mask to show her that he wasn't who she thought he was.

As it turns out, I ended up not having to do so. Cristina must have sense something amiss, or perhaps recognized something in the way she was being kissed because she pushed Ezio away, staring up at him with confused eyes. Then, ever so slowly, she reached up and took off the mask that Ezio and I had put so carefully on his face.

Her eyes widened. "Ezio...?" She then shoved the mask back into Ezio's hold, anger overcoming her. "What the _hell_ are you doing here? How dare you...!" She yelled, clearly upset.

"Cristina," Ezio said softly, reaching out for her. "It's alright."

"_Alright!_" She screeched. "I haven't seen you in _eight_ years, Ezio! The last time I saw you, you kissed me in an alleyway then left me to be married!"

"It was the right thing to do. He loved you."

"Who CARES what he wants!" Cristina shouted, backing away from Ezio further. "I loved YOU." Fed up with it all, Cristina finally turned to walk out of the alley, her fists clenched. "Ezio, you had your second chance! Never find me again...Please!" With one finally look, Cristina turned and walked away, Ezio staring after her with a sad look on his face. Right then, I really did not know how I should feel even though I was more upset about it all too. I knew it was not something that I should have been furious about...but something about it made me feel almost sad about it all. Ezio had said that he gave Cristina up because another man loved her. Did that mean that...I would have to do the same?

Before I could think more on it, I heard an excited word above the crowd.

"The Doge's party is starting in any minute!"

The realization that I had to _be_ at that party made me realize that I needed to get out of there. "Shit! My shoes!" Without seeing what Ezio was planning to do too, I took off through the crowd, heading back to Leonardo's at full sprint. I put aside the Cristina thing and put on my game face ready to get things rolling. Bursting into Leo's shop, I ran for my shoes, briefly said my goodbyes to Leonardo who was surprised to see me in such a rush, and got out of there before Ezio was able to show up.

* * *

"Sorry! Sorry!" I said as I ran up to the Bordello, Emiliana and Lucina waiting for me outside. "I got distracted at Leonardo's." I dropped the shoes on the ground. "Could you guys help me put these on?"

Lucina dropped to her knees and put my shoes back on while Emiliana re-pinned some of my hair that had fallen out. "Did you find Ezio?" Emiliana asked, pulling on my hair.

"Yeah. He—he's coming," I stuttered, flinching from the acute pain of Emiliana tugging on my hair.

"Then let's head on over—we'll meet him inside of the party and you can discuss your next plan with him."

Lucina finished with my shoes, tying them all nice and tight before they began to lead me through the streets, telling me to follow them as close as I could. With swaying hips and breasts nearly falling out of our bodices, we went through the Carnival, my eyes still locked up on the fireworks high in the sky, popping with sound every explosion. As I said before, I truly did try to be a good courtesan when the time came; I smiled and giggled, winking at various men throughout the trip over to the party.

Finally, we approached the spot where the party entrance was, leading into a secluded courtyard near the harbor, allowing a boat to dock there.

Lucina leaned towards me, using her fan to hide our mouths. "This may be tricky," she whispered. "You may have to use your hands a bit to convince the guards to let you in—don't be alarmed if they stop you. Stay calm, smile, and touch their faces a lot."

"Got it." We stood straight again with smiles, walking over to the guards with giggles bubbling out of our lips. Studying us for a moment, they moved aside without a question asked, and we walked on by, erupting in a loud fit of giggles.

"Hey." We all stopped in our tracks, the deep voice beckoning to us. "One of you stay here and... _entertain_ us." The guards behind me chuckled loudly, Emiliana and Lucina turning to gaze at me. My eyes were wide and I felt myself shudder at the thought of having to do such a thing. Making up her mind, Emiliana glanced over to Lucina then to me again, nodding once before striding back to the guards. Lucina reached for my arm, then dragging me across the small bridge that led into the party.

Glancing over my shoulder to watch Emiliana, I whispered, "Will she be okay?"

"She can take care of herself," Lucina said, tugging my arm to bring my attention back to what was ahead of me. Down in the small plaza was only a select few of people, all who mostly wore the golden masks. I glanced around the party, hoping to see Ezio down there somewhere, but alas, there was no _Assassino_ there.

"He's not here," I whispered to my newfound friend. "What do we do now?"

"We wait," she said. "Come over here." I followed her over to another group of courtesans, who all glanced at us, the sense of the secret running over the small group, before we all started to smile and giggle again. A few of them were chosen to dance by a random man. Lucina made sure that I was never one of the choices, always pulling me aside whenever she saw a man approaching the group. She really would not let anyone touch me, just like Teodora asked.

"Narina," one of the other girls whispered to me suddenly, making me surprised that she knew my name. Her eyes flickered to something above my head then she looked back to me. "Ezio's here."

Whipping my head around, I looked frantically over the crowd for Ezio, and spotted him almost immediately. He was just barely walking into the party, his eyes darting all around behind a bright, golden mask that I had seen only as a prize. I realized that he still did not know that I was at the party too, and I glanced back at my fellow group members, more towards Lucina. "I'm going to go talk to him."

The girl nodded, becoming suddenly more than just a whore—she was a teammate; all of them were. "Just be careful that you don't get caught on the way over there. We'll watch to make sure no man goes for you, okay?"

"Thanks." I nodded to the girl, grateful for having to deal with me. Turning on my heel, almost tripping, I then began to walk over to Ezio, trying to seem like a ghost in the crowd and not touch anyone. I was given a clear path to him, the crowd moving just right to give me my chance. I took my speed up a bit, shuffling on my feet, trying to keep my balance while still looking like a trained courtesan. Even by the time I reached Ezio, he still did not notice me, his eyes on the boat that was docked. Grabbing his sleeve and pulling him with me as I walked towards a building, I heard him fumble for his words.

"Look, I'm flattered by your advances, _mia bella_, but..."

I pushed him to the building, then looked up at him, my hand pressed to his chest, trying to make it seem to another's eyes that I was being...seductive? Ezio stared down at me for a moment before shaking his head, and then pushed me away a little, grinning. "Narina? Jesus..."

Grabbing his jaw, I pulled his eyes up from my bosom that nearly pressed against his and up into my gaze. "Look, we don't have time for this. What's our plan?"

"Damn, you'd make a good courtesan!"

I squeezed his jaw harder, making him flinch, my nose wrinkling in disgust. "I said we don't have time for this." I looked to the side of us, a man with his eyes locked on us, glancing away when he saw I looked. Pressing myself up against Ezio, I put my hand up into his hood and grabbed his neck, pulling his head down so his cheek was resting against mine. "What's our plan?" I asked again, in a low whisper.

"What it's always been; to kill Marco," he whispered back. "That hasn't changed."

"What about Dante, then?"

"Looks like he's come to the party too." I looked up, glancing at the entryway of the party. There stood that brain-dead Dante person, obviously pissed and ready to kill an Assassin, the guards at his sides looking around sharply.

"_Merda_," I cursed, noting how many guards there were in the plaza. I then glanced back up to Ezio. "We need to hide you until the search dies down."

"Where is there to hide?" Ezio wondered.

I looked around swiftly, finding a haystack far across the way, near the boat. "There." I pointed, and then looked back up to him. "I can distract the guards enough so that you can get there and hide."

Before I could turn, Ezio grabbed my arm. "No," he said when I looked back at him. "You are not going to distract them while wearing that."

"It's _because_ I'm wearing this that I'm going to distract them." I gently pulled away from his hold. "If there's one thing that you've taught me, Ezio, it's that men think with their dicks." I held up a hand before he could say anything. "Besides, we're in this together. We always have been. I'll give you enough time to get across." With that, I turned away and walked towards the guards that were keeping their eyes on the crowd. Swallowing my fear, my disgust, everything that told me not to do this, I called out, "Hey, you men look like you could use a little company." I approached a small group, who all had there eyes on me now, searching me up and down. Choosing one of them, I pushed myself towards him, reaching up and running my fingers across his face, giggling under my breath and sticking out my breasts.

It worked just as I thought it would, all of them surrounding me with their lips twisted up into grins. The one I approached put his hands at my waist, something that made me want to pull back, but I continued to giggle out of force, knowing that I was more than likely going to be raped. My first Carnival and I was going to be raped.

I had forgotten how determined Teodora's girls had been to uphold her words. Before I knew it, Lucina and all of the others were around the guards now too, giggling and touching the men's faces, chests, and necks. Lucina came to stand by me, giving me a rough elbow to my side, throwing me a look that said I needed to get out of there now. Suddenly wanting to hug the girl, I nodded my thanks instead and slipped behind the guards, none of them noticing my absence. Then, keeping my eyes on the group, I made my way over to the haystack, glancing around to make sure no one was watching before I jumped up to sit on the side of the cart and I fell into the hay backwards.

When I landed, it was on a pair of legs, and a loud groan filled my ears. I was relieved to hear that it was Ezio's voice.

"Ah, sorry Ezio," I muttered, shifting myself around so that I was completely concealed with the hay.

"Narina?" With the help of Ezio's tugging hands, I crawled up so that I was lying next to him, tucked against his chest. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I bowed my head, laying it against Ezio's hard armor, even able to hear his heartbeat through all of that. "All we have to do now...is wait."

Whenever we heard footfall next to the cart, I noticed that we both held our breath, clinging onto each other just a little harder than before, praying to God that the guards wouldn't check the haystack for any reason, Ezio rolling me over to the side so that if they did, he'd be the first one they'd stab. We were so close that I was surrounded in his scent, surrounded by his warmth, surrounded by _him_. I had forgotten what it had been like, and I realized that I really did love it.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" A voice rang out, making Ezio and I jump in surprise. "I now present to you the beloved Doge of Venezia!"

"This is it!" Ezio sat up quickly, poking his head out the top of the haystack, sitting me up as well. After a quick glance around, Ezio climbed out of the cart then reached back in to pull me out. "Come on," he said to me under his breath. "We need to get a better look and wait for him to get off of the boat."

As we melded back into the crowd, Ezio's eyes locked on the deck of the boat, I finally saw the man walk out, Carlo Grimaldi, his white beard hanging from his face.

"Welcome, my guests!" The man yelled out, smiling widely. "Welcome to this special occasion! Even through peace, even through the worst of wars, even through the worst of poverty or the best of prosperity, Venezia will always have _il Carnevale!_"

As the crowd cheered, I heard Ezio growl under his breath. "Damn. He's not getting off of the boat. I'm going to have to swim out there."

"That is a bad idea." Shocked, we both turned around, surprised to find Teodora standing there behind us. "If you swim out there, they will spot you long before you are able to get there."

"She's right," I added in, sighing. There was suddenly loud banging noises echoing through the air, and I immediately gasped and looked up at the sky, shortly becoming distracted by all the exploding lights in the sky. "Fireworks!" I squealed, giggling lightly. I could hear Ezio chuckling at me, but I did not care enough to look at him.

"Narina," the Sister started to say. "I don't think now is the time to enjoy the..." She paused. "Ezio!" Teodora suddenly exclaimed. "The fireworks! That's it!"

She had caught both of our attention by now, and we looked at her. "The fireworks?"

"Si! You have that pistol from Leonardo, no? If you time it right, you can shoot the doge and the fire would blend in with the fireworks—then you could sneak away quietly!"

"I like the way you think, Sister," Ezio said with a grin. He messed with the pistol on his bracer for a moment, and then he glanced up at me. "I'm going to move a little closer to get a better aim."

"I'll come with," I said. "Having a girl on your arm might make you look...less suspicious?"

Ezio laughed at my logic, put an arm around me and led me forward. We stopped by the edge of the courtyard, staring at the boat carrying Marco. Ezio began to fiddle with his bracer again, the clicks and pops drowned out by the bangs of the fireworks and the Doge's words. Before Ezio raised his hand up in the air to aim, he reached up and removed the golden mask, letting it drop down to the ground. Then he leaned forward and placed his lips to the top of my head. "Cover your ears, Narina." Before I could do so, Ezio pulled me towards his chest, covering my face. Then I reached up and covered my ears, blocking out the music, the voices, the fireworks, and hopefully the gunshot. I sure as hell felt the recoil that knocked Ezio back a bit. Moreover, the shot _was _heard, and it made me flinch.

It all happened so quickly. "Teodora, take Narina back to the brothel!" I was thrown to the side, my arm seized by a much smaller and softer one and then I was running. Everyone around me was screaming, the music was gone and the blasts in the sky echoed deadly throughout the streets. The assassination had been complete. Teodora dragged me behind her quickly; I could not really keep up due to the shoes, and there was even a time when I fell off the heel and messed up my ankle a wee bit, causing me to cry out in pain, but I continued running behind the Sister.

* * *

By the time we reached the front door of the Bordello, the word of the Assassination of the Doge could already be heard on everyone's lips. Teodora held open the door for me, my ankle suddenly hurting and making me suck in a breath of pain.

"What is it, my child?" Teodora asked, seeing that I was in pain.

"My ankle," I breathed. "I think I fucked it up."

Antonio was suddenly at my side, putting my arm around his shoulders as he helped me across the room and onto the couches to the side. Teodora walked into the back rooms for the moment while Antonio began to untie my shoes and pulling them off my feet, taking a hold of my calf to pull my leg up so he could look at my ankle. "Does this hurt?" He asked, pressing his finger on the bone. A jolt of pain rushed through me and I nodded slowly. "I don't think it's broken," he murmured under his breath. "What do you think, Teodora?"

The Sister had come back with bandages and a bottle of medicine in her hands. "It looks dislocated," she observed. "All we have to do is pop it back into place." She folded the bandages together so they were in a big wad, handing it over to me. "Bite on this," she simply told me, and I complied, opening my mouth and clamping down on the cloth.

Antonio had taken a hold of my foot with both of his hands, staring up at me carefully. "Take a deep breath for me now," he said, then violently twisted my foot to the side, a loud pop sounding before I screamed out in pain, having to reach up so the cloth did not fall out of my mouth. "I think that's fine," Antonio whispered, standing up.

Teodora stooped down and poured some liquid out of the bottle onto my ankle. "This will make it feel better," she explained, rubbing it on softly so it did not hurt that much. The liquid had a heating sensation, and it really did make it feel a lot better, making me relax my jaw and let go of the cloth, pulling it out of my mouth.

"I knew those shoes were trying to kill me," I whispered, making both Teodora and Antonio laugh.

"You'll be fine," Teodora said, smiling. "Just don't walk on it for a while. Antonio, could you help her back here to a room?"

"Yes." Putting my arm around him again and placing his hand at my waist, Antonio helped me follow Teodora back into one of the rooms, a place for me to rest. When the master thief laid me down on the bed, an awkward moment passed as we realized it was more of a sensual act. Teodora told me that she would be back with a washtub for me; she obviously knew that I hated oily skin and the blood that was barely visible on my arms from when I was tended to Ezio's lip.

During her time out of the room, we heard an eruption of giggles come from the front room out the open door, and both Antonio and I knew that Ezio had returned. Not a moment later, we heard Teodora's voice, congratulating Ezio for a job well done, for freeing _Venezia_, and how he must have been tired.

"Your soul must need some...soothing, no?" I heard her say. Antonio and I exchanged a glance that said 'here we go again'.

"Thank you," Ezio responded, "but no thank you."

Shocked, Antonio and I stared at each other with wide eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" We both asked at the same time, causing us to be shocked further until we busted up laughing.

Everything went silent in the front room for a minute and then a few girls brought in a big metal tub. Teodora stood at the door and stuck her head in. "Antonio," she said softly. "Ezio wishes to see you for a minute."

"Alright." Antonio winked at me before he walked out of the room. Teodora about left with him, but I called out to her.

"Hey, Teodora, can I talk to you?"

"Sure." She slipped back into the room, getting out of the way for the girls who were bringing in buckets of hot water to pour into the bath. We waited until the bath was completely filled, and then after closing the door, Teodora helped me stand and take off the courtesan clothes, thankful for her help because I could not have gotten the stupid corset off myself. I took a step into the tub, the warm water caressing my skin softly as I sat down, sighing in content at the warmth. Teodora took a seat on the bed I had been lying on.

"What did you want to talk about, Child?"

Cupping my hands together to collect some water, I splashed my face and rubbed away at the dirt, oil, and grime. "I wanted to apologize," I explained, rubbing the water out of my eyes before reaching up and unpinning my hair. "It's just that, I judge whores and your girls so hastily; I never really took the time to consider that they have their reasons and their pride despite who they are and what they do," I elaborated, seeing how she was confused. "So, I'm very sorry if I offended you earlier when I was so hesitant to change my look."

Teodora laughed warmly, somehow reminding me of either Maria or even Paola. "There was no offense to be taken—we are used to the judgment and we have learned to set it aside. It does not matter if we know why are doing such things."

I could not help but smile back at her, reaching over the side of the tub to grab a small soap bar that the girls left for me. As I scrubbed myself with my palm, washing away all of the oils that had been lathered onto my skin, Teodora stood from the bed and walked over to the tub, coming to help me. I did not think anything of it—there was a motherly sense about her, and I am sure she had seen her fair share of naked women. I may have my dignity, but it was pointless to hide it from someone who held much of the same anatomy as I.

She had grabbed a small bowl to the side of the tub, rolling up her sleeves to her elbows before she dipped the bowl into the water, reaching up and pouring it over my head, wetting my hair down.  
" So," she hummed, repeating the process, making water run down my face. "Tell me about your time with Tamair."

"Tamair?" I wiped at my face. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes." She put the bowl aside momentarily, grabbing for some washing mixture also to the side, squirting some on her hand before she ran her fingers through my hair. "He was such a nice boy. What business does he have stealing you away?"

"You know about that?"

"Antonio had me help search for you." I heard her hum in her throat, obviously amused. "I had a feeling that he had something to do with it, truthfully. It was many years ago, but he told me that he would be back someday, returning to Italy to only disappear without a word. The boy told me that I would hear about it eventually. I put one and two together when I heard about your disappearance."

"And you didn't tell Antonio or anyone?"

"Why should I have? I knew that if it had Tamair that you were long gone." The soapsuds that she was massaging into my head started to fall into my eyes, and I wiped them away quickly. "So tell me," she wondered. "What was it like across the sea?"

* * *

Therefore, I told her all about it, this time feeling more comfortable telling it like a story rather than an excuse. Of course, she teased me and embarrassed me greatly when she had me tell her in extreme detail about how sleeping with the man was. There was just something about Teodora that made you unable to deny her anything. The water became all too cold by the time I had been done telling my smut and I pulled myself out of the bath, exclaiming that was enough through my embarrassed giggles. Teodora laughed with me, handing me my towel before asking me to finish the story, about how I came back to Italy. When I finished the story, I realized that I had no other clothes to wear besides the courtesan dress, but I figured it was better than nothing and had Teodora help me put it back on." How's your ankle?" She wondered.

I put my weight on it, only a small, acute pain coming from it. "Better."

"Good." Using my discarded towel to dry her hands, Teodora threw the cloth at me and told me to dry my hair. "Why don't you go find Ezio?" She suggested. "He said he wanted to see if you were okay."

"Well, I don't want to bother him if he's uh..._busy_." I wrung my hair out with the towel

"He declined my girl's offers," the Sister explained, then watched me for a minute, something sparking in her eyes. "He said something about his lip hurting."

"Really?" I was a little worried, wondering if the busted lip would cause yet another scar on those lips. "I guess I could go check it out...I need to talk to him about something anyway."

Still rubbing the towel in my hair, I lightly hobbled out of the room, realizing that my ankle did hurt a little bit more than I thought it did. Teodora sent me in the general direction of the room, telling me which one he was in. When she offered me her help, I shook my head no and continued down the hallways, trying to ignore the giggles and groans coming from the rooms that I passed, not wanting to imagine what was going on behind them. The door that Teodora pointed me to was open, candle light falling out through the opened door.

Deciding that it was pay back time, I busted into the room without knocking, trying to get back at Ezio for walking in on me bathing. However, it did not have the same effect since he was not naked or doing anything that would cause him to be embarrassed about being caught. He was just sitting on the bed in his casual clothes, his robes folded on the end of the bed, obviously waiting to be washed and rid of blood. At my entrance, he simply just looked up at me from a book he had in his hands.

"Oh." He put the book aside, sitting up straighter. "There you are. Come here; let me look at your ankle."

"It feels fine," I lied, sitting on the bed and flinging my legs around so he could examine my foot, dropping the towel to the side of the bed.

Ezio gently touched it, taking a hold of my heel to lift up my foot so he could look at it closer. "It doesn't look fine," he muttered, touching the bruised skin.

"How's your lip, then?" I asked. "That doesn't look fine either."

Letting my foot back down on the bed, Ezio reached up to his lip. "It's fine. Sure, it stings a bit, but its fine."

Pouting, I folded my legs under me, ignoring the slight pain of the ankle. "Is that all you wanted?"

Ezio shrugged. "I guess so. Just wanted to see if you got back in one piece."

"Oh." I stared at him for a moment as he leaned back against the pillows that he had propped up. "Well, I partly came here because I needed to talk to you too."

"About?" He kicked off his boots, hitting them off the edge of the bed, them clattering onto the floor loudly.

"Well," I said slowly, hesitating. "About Cristina actually."

Ezio sure as hell was good at acting, because he kept it cool, letting his brow furrow in confusion, a weird smirk on his lips. "Okay. Don't know where that came from, but okay."

My eyes dropped down to my lap, where my hands where folded. "Don't be stupid," I whispered. "I saw everything."

"What are you talking about?"

"Stop acting like it didn't happen!" I yelled, throwing a glare on Ezio. "I was there! I watched you trick the poor woman! Ezio, I have to know; what the HELL were you thinking?"

Finally, understanding that I had been there the entire time with the Cristina thing, Ezio's face finally fell into shock. "I...I thought you stayed here..."

"Yeah, well, I didn't." I leaned forward, feeling my brows furrow. "Ezio, who do you think you are?"

"Narina, I didn't mean for you to see that."

"I'm not mad at you for myself!" I exalted. "No, if going after Cristina is what makes you happy, then I'm totally happy too! I just want you to be happy Ezio! No, I'm mad at you for _Cristina_!" I paused staring into his eyes, feeling suddenly helpless, him returning me a similar look. "Ezio, why did you lie to her?"

He did not say anything. He did not move. Finally, he sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. I knew that she wouldn't come and meet me if she knew that it was me."

"So you lied?" I was now shaking my head too.

"I didn't know what else to do," Ezio whispered. "To tell the truth, I have no idea what I was thinking. When Leonardo told me she was in town, I just..."

"You had to see her," I finished for him, my anger suddenly disappearing.

"I guess I did."

We both fell silent, staring quietly at the bed cover, the pattern sewn into the blanket. Then, unfolding my legs and rolling over to the edge, standing from the bed, I said, "You know, Ezio, there's something else that you said to her that got me thinking." Without a word, he looked up to me, and I could see the apologies written all over his face—he was really beating himself up for having me see that. When I thought about where this was going, what I was about to say, I had to close my eyes momentarily in order to get my thoughts straight. What I was about to say would either change everything for the better...or for the worse.

I looked up again, taking a deep breath. "You told Cristina that you left her eight years ago so that another man could love her, even though you loved her too. Just because it's what was best for her, the way that would make her happy." My fingers tangled together, my heartbeat tripping over itself. "Well, it got me thinking." I watched Ezio carefully watch me, his face no longer filled with apologies, but with a sort of interest. "It made me realize that..." I looked away, down to the floor, trying to build up more courage, a shiver bolting through me before I looked up again. Nevertheless, I lost all that courage when I looked into those golden eyes that studied me carefully...and I didn't want to ever let that go. But...but... "It made me realize that maybe it's time I let go, too." I saw a small transition from the wonder to a form that looked like confusion. "Maybe," I continued hands clammy and trembling, "it's time that I let you go so that someone else can love you...even though I do too." My teeth found my lip, my trembling lip, and then I realized that I was crying. I could not look at him anymore, my eyes locked on the far wall. "If...if chasing skirts and sleeping with women is what makes you happy, then I...then that's what I want too. I just want you to be happy."

Done with my speech, my eyes fell to the floor and my hands untangled to reach up and try to nonchalantly wipe at my face. _Maybe I should walk out_, I thought after a long minute passed by in utter silence. My body did not let me move. Not until I knew what he felt about it. I looked up at Ezio, wanting to see if he would allow it, if he would want it too.

I was surprised when I looked up to find him smiling softly and shaking his head. "You are an idiot," he said, the smile growing wider. My heart stopped at the words and my eyes widened in a confused manner. What was he saying? He stood up from the bed and walked around the edge to approach me; his smile was still wide and his head was rocking side to side. "You are such an idiot"

Okay, I had to admit—that moment really was not the best time for Ezio to try to start one of our famous fights now. I was really in no mood to defend myself or argue or anything, and his words actually hurt me a little. Feeling the tears again, I realized that I needed to get out of there, I needed to leave, clear my head, try to be happy for him. Pressing my lips together and clenching my fists, I twisted on my heel and head for the open door.

A gasp was ripped out of me when the door slammed in front of me, Ezio's hand braced against it, his presence and body head right behind me. I swallowed back the sudden fear, lightly jumping when his warm breath brushed against my shoulder and jaw line, his cheek placed against the side of my head, pressing into my damp hair. His left hand reached up too, pressing against the door, trapping me in his hold. I kept my eyes forward, on the wood of the door, concentrating on how his breath warmed my skin.

"Narina, do you really want to know what makes me happy?"

I did not respond, keeping my eyes on the door.

Seeing that I was not going to answer, Ezio moved forward, bumping into me, making me move forward to press against the door. My mind raced through a million things at once, one of the comprehensible ones reminding me that it was not necessary other women that made Ezio happy; it was sex, _which_ I was in _no_ mood to participate in.

"When you were watching the fireworks, enjoying the carnival, laughing and smiling..." Ezio whispered, his cheek still pressed against my hair. "Seeing you so happy, watching you smile and laugh, _that's_ what made me happy." My heart stuttered in my chest again, but this time for a completely different reason. "When you got mad because Silvio cheated at the contest that made me upset and angry." His head moved against mine slightly, turning his face into my hair, his lips pressing against the wet hair. "To see you happy makes me happy. To see you angry makes me angry." Then he was gone, moved away. "It's like you're my other half; the half that controls my emotions." I heard the bed move, Ezio obviously sitting on it. "So the real question is, Narina...What makes you happy? What makes you smile? Because whatever it is...that's what will make me happy too." I was once again faced with the sudden feeling of...well, not knowing what to do. How to feel. What I should say.

"Maybe _I'm _the idiot." Finally, my body let me move, my head turning to the side to look over my shoulder. Ezio caught and held my gaze, a small but comforting smile on his face now. "I guess I am pretty moronic since it took me this long to figure it out." When I turned to him fully, he stood form the bed, looking down at me. "Tell me what will make you happy."

Something hit me then; a realization that Ezio was actually letting me have a choice, letting me choose what I wanted. I wasn't sure if he was mocking me or not. He has known for years.

Shaking my head, blinking back the tears, I reached up and pressed my fingers against my eyes. "You know what would make me happy," I whispered.

The sound of his feet plopping on the floor, approaching me. I did not look up until his hands cupped my bare shoulders. Letting my hands drop, I looked up into his eyes. He watched me carefully, his thumbs rubbing soft circles in my skin. I did not notice I was slowly shaking my head for a minute, and when I did, I felt myself smiling slowly. In return, he smiled back, reaching up and brushing his hand to my cheek. Then letting his fingers run through my wet hair, cupping his hand around the back of my head, pulling me closer to him, he pressed his lips against mine, his other hand leaving my shoulder to reach up and cup my cheek, his thumb rubbing the pocket under my eye, ridding the tears that had pooled there.

The kiss stayed calm and measured soft little pecks with more deep and sensual ones in between. Every time we broke the kiss, Ezio's breath would fan against my face, making me light-headed, realizing that I had missed it a lot more than I thought I had. My hands reached up against, lifting away all the anger, all the assumptions, all the grudges, I had held, and my hands locked behind Ezio's neck, pulling me closer to him.

Suddenly, Ezio threw his arms around my waist, picking me up off the ground and swinging me around haphazardly, making me break the kiss in surprise. "Come on, Narina!" He said to me with a grin on his face. "Show me a real smile!"

I could not help but laugh, reaching up and wiping at my eye that he did not get a chance to wipe at. He swung me around for a few more rotations, before he suddenly fell backwards, making me cry out in shock. We landed and then bounced a little—landed on the bed. I propped myself up on my elbow, halfway on top of Ezio, laughing softly while reaching up and pulling my hair out of my face, the strands still damp.

"Now that's the smile I love to see." I looked down at Ezio again, and he was grinning up at me, one arm around my waist while the other rested against his chest. Smiling wider, I let my fingers play along his lip, tracing his old scar, and then touching the new wound that was still a little pink.

"I really hope this doesn't scar," I muttered, more to myself than him.

"Why not?" His mouth fell into an "o" shape. "Oh, is it one of those 'not-good-memory' reminders? Like this one?" He rolled away from me sitting up to lift his shirt over his head, revealing his back to me, showing me the scar that was welted down his back.

"Yes!" I frowned, sitting up, reaching over, and grabbing his shoulder, not wanting the memories to come back at that moment. "Yes, like that one!" I pulled him around to face me, catching his eyes.

It was then, at that moment, which I realized that he did not have a shirt on, that he was half-naked, and I was touching his hot skin. Ezio must have seen the realization in my eyes, because he smirked and the look that I knew all too well lit up in his eyes. He gave me a sly look, raising one brow. Blushing, I looked away, trying to advert my attention to something else, taking my hand away from his shoulder.

* * *

Ezio surprised me by taking a hold of the low cut edge of the dress. "You know what's really nice about you wearing courtesan clothes?"

My eyes landed on his face again. "What?"

"I know how to get them off—," he tugged on the front, pulling me forward so that I was leaning over towards him, his lips placed at my temple, his words dropping to a hushed whisper., "—really, really fast." The fingers that had been at the neckline were suddenly slipping into the fabric, touching my skin in soft caresses, making my gut tighten and my breath hitch in my throat. The tip of his index finger suddenly touched the edge of my nipple, my eyes lightly closing at the feeling. "Do you want me to show you?"

He did not even give me a chance to answer. Pulling me further towards him in the process, Ezio ripped off the top of the dress, tearing it to shreds, pulling what was left of the dress over my knees and pulling the rest of the dress over my feet.

"Ezio!" I gasped in shock, pulling away, the only thing covering me now was the borrowed underwear and the corset.

"What?" He pouted. "Do you want me to get naked first?"

"No!" I said, blushing wildly. "No, it's not that, it's just..."

"Right, right," Ezio said, smiling. "I forgot. You like your fore-play, don't you?"

"Ezio!" Before I could say anything else, Ezio took a hold of my face, laying an open mouth kiss on my lips, using his tongue to pry open my mouth. "Mmm," I mumbled, placing my hand on his chest to push him away. Ah, I had forgotten how Ezio's kisses just seemed to sap away my energy and give it to him. The hand that was meant to push him away changed its mission and began to stroke along his skin, feeling the steel-like manner of his muscles, like silk over iron.

Seeing that I was giving in, Ezio's hands dropped down to my waist, his fingers taking a hold of the bottom of the corset. He tugged the material upwards, up over my head, causing my arms to lift and the kiss to break. Instead of kissing me again, he leaned over and pressed his lips to my jaw, his tongue running in small circles on my skin. My hands fell back against his shoulders as I tilted my head back allowing more skin for Ezio to taste. I felt his hands running up and down my bare sides, his fingers pressing lightly into my skin. And then his thumbs pressed into the under side of my breasts, lifting them lightly before he hummed into my skin, a grin pressed to my neck, and then he let his hands cup around my soft mounds, fingers entrapping the erect buds.

A mewl pried from my lips, my throat vibrating under the touch of his lips. It had been far too long since I had been touched; it seemed even longer than my four-year abstinence with Tamair. I guess that my body had missed being touched by Ezio—having sex with another man would not cut it.

It was as if Ezio felt my need in my quickened pulse, for he pulled away from my neck, leaned up and kissed me once before he bent his head down again, his lips landing on my collarbone. His tongue would dart out between every kiss, sampling my skin, his breaths drawn through his nose to smell my newly washed skin. A giggle rocked my body when his breath brushed against the swell of my breast, tickling me softly. All the giggles were taken away when I felt his hot tongue run over my taut nipple, leaving a warm, wet trail. Humming in pleasure, I found my hands placing themselves on his head, delving my fingers into his hair. Now suckling me like a babe, Ezio ran his tongue in circles around my nipple, making me close my eyes in the sensation of his warmth so close to me.

He suddenly pulled away, putting his hand to my shoulder and pushed me back down onto the bed. Taking a hold of my sides, he leaned back down to place butterfly kisses on my tummy, tickling me enough to make me burst up in a chorus of giggles, fidgeting around, trying to squirm out of his hold. He held me tight, his hands holding my hips and twisting their own little game of tickling into my skin. A small, playful scream erupted from my mouth, my smile broader than I ever really remembered it being.

"Ezio, stop!" I giggled, pushing at his head, trying to get him away. His hands left my hips and grabbed my arms, pulling them away, continuing to kiss my skin softly to make me laugh even more. When I started to kick my legs, finding the tickling all of a sudden too much, Ezio pulled away, his legs trapping my legs down to the bed, his body soon over me as he crawled over me. Getting over my fit of giggles, I looked up into Ezio's eyes, warmed by the candle, his skin bronzed by the flame. The lack of light really enunciated the contours of his face, the high cheekbones, the strong nose, the broad jaw, dimpled lightly with specks, telling me Ezio was due for a shave.

Smiling, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my brow. I lifted my chin, brushing my nose against his cheek before he allowed his lips to press against mine again. There was no sense of rushing, an absence that I actually liked, something that made it all seem so much more than it ever had before. Leisurely, Ezio gave me soft, slow, but deep kisses, running his broad tongue against my lips, making my lips part without hesitation. His hands pulled my arms up above my hair, allowing him free reign over my body, his fingers pressing into my wrists to tell me to 'stay put' before he let his hands run down my arms. The soft brush of his fingers then made its way down across my chest, lightly giving my breasts a little squeeze before the fingers continued downward, leaving warm trails in their wake.

Then his fingers were at the edge of the undergarments I was wearing, his fingers prying under the material. My stomach twisted violently when his thick fingers pressed into my precious pearl, rubbing the sensitive nub gently, his lips spreading into a grin when I quietly moaned into his kiss. The pleasant pressure already started to build up in my stomach, my hands clenching into fists above my head. His fingers then moved downward, pressing into my fold, spreading the wetness that had gathered there all over me, his fingers teasingly running over my moist core, threatening to sink into me, to touch me in a place so deep.

When he finally did allow his long fingers to slip inside of me, I gasped and clamped my eyes shut tight, throwing my head back and breaking the kiss, Ezio's lips automatically moving to my neck, leaving little, red love marks upon my skin. With the sense of absolute control, Ezio slowly probed me with one finger, pressing it against my inner walls and making me gasp out with every curl of his finger. His unoccupied hand was pressed to my hipbone, his thumb rubbing a small circle against my lower tummy. It was a comforting motion that made my stomach fill with butterflies—even more when I felt him press a second finger inside of me, causing my back to lift up off the bed and arch against his hand as my hips started to move with the small thrusts.

A moment later, I found that my hands could no longer comply with his request, and they reached down, pushing him away. Seeing what I wanted and removing his fingers from me, Ezio sat up on his knees, sticking out his hips, arching his nicely built body in a way that made me want to tackle him. I sat up, coming face to face with a rather large bulge in Ezio's trousers, straining the material. With shaky fingers, I ran my hands up from his knees, letting my fingers press into his leg, and when I reached the front of his pants, I untied the string to loosen his trousers. Then, I took a hold of the waistline, telling myself repeatedly that I could do this, trying to stop my heart from beating so fast, trying to make the blush fade from my cheeks. When I pulled the pants down, dragging them down his steely thighs, his cock sprang free, full and erect right before my eyes.

Somehow, I convinced myself to glance up at Ezio, taking a hold of his erection in my small hands, them looking even smaller with the comparison of his organ. The heated skin under my touch pulsed and hardened even more than it had before. He seemed almost shocked at my actions, his eyes widening in surprise as he studied my grip on him.

"Hope you know how to handle that thing," he said in a husky voice, making the building pressure inside stack higher, my legs quivering slightly.

"I'm sure I can figure it out," I murmured. Winking at him, I allowed my hands to start to stroking him up and down. From the base of his length and rising up to the silky head. My thumbs brushed over the tip spreading his precum on my fingers as a lubricant to rub harder and faster.

I was so concentrating on pumping away, secretly liking the way my skin would slide against his, that I didn't even notice that his head had fallen back, his brow furrowed, until he groaned, "Oh my God, Narina." Surprised, I looked up at him and realized that he was enjoying this a hell of a lot more than I was.

The assassin looked down at me when I stopped rubbing him, catching my wide, blue eyes locked up on him. Since I had given him the advantage, Ezio took a hold of my wrists and pulled my hands away, that lust sparkling in his eyes that I had not seen for years. The golden hues were darkened with desire, making me slowly pull away, leaning back on my hands to take him all in.

Having none of my sudden passiveness, Ezio reached under him, took a hold of my ankles, and lifted them up in the air in front of him, lifting my bottom up enough so that when he tugged on the underwear, they came off with ease, his fingers slipping them over my ankles and toes. His rough hold reawakened the small pain in my ankle and I tried to pull it away as I whimpered under my breath. Ezio immediately realized what had happened, and he dropped my right foot, taking a hold of my left foot with both hands, caressing my skin softly, his eyes livening back up a bit as he stared down into my eyes.

"Sorry," he whispered, pressing his thumbs into my foot, massaging the pads of my foot lightly. I smiled lightly when he pressed his lips to the bruise on my skin. Something in the situation calmed Ezio down, made him remember what was happening, and I think who he was with as well. He placed my foot back down on the bed softly, running his hand up my leg softly, keeping his warmed gaze on mine, a small smile on his face.

I was only a bit surprised when Ezio took a hold of my knees, spreading my legs apart while he placed himself between, hooking my legs against his waist as he lowered himself over me, one hand on either side of my head. A strange grin appeared on his lips suddenly, and in the next moment, Ezio was bowed down, his mouth at my neck, his teeth nipping at my skin playfully, making me scream out and giggle, reaching up and pushing at his shoulders lightly, not that I actually wanted him to get off, but I did play along.

Soon, his bites turned into kisses and then morphed back into the warm suckles, Ezio touching with his teasing side before moving back into his more familiar side, his sensual and sexy side. His hands moved down again, running over my shoulders, bringing my hands down his chest, before his fingers fondled with my boobs again, making my nipple erect once more. I found myself restless suddenly, although not wanting to rush, I felt like I still needed this more than ever. He hummed on my skin when his hands took a hold of my sides, one slipping down between us to guide his tip into me, making me moan and close my eyes to concentrate more on the feeling.

A large breath filled my lungs when he pushed into me, slowly, carefully, my body growing fuller and fuller of him. The hum that vibrated through me turned into a low groan, bracing myself up by my arms while my back arched again, drawing me closer to him. His hands fumbled around moving from my hips to the bed to my legs, trying to find a place to anchor him self. It actually began to distract me, and once he filled me to his hilt, his body shuddering above me, I grabbed his hands, which were at my hips at the time, and took them into my own, tangling my fingers with his and holding them in one spot. It was almost surprising, but he actually seemed thankful about it, grinning down at me softly.

Then he started to rock his hips, slow at first, but gaining speed rather quickly. It had all become too much suddenly, and I groaned loudly, cursing under my breath as I felt him fill me again and again with every thrust. I actually got tired of holding hands first. Brushing away his hands I threw my arms around his neck and latched my mouth upon his rough jaw, intent on leaving my own mark on him. The careful hands held me from the back for a moment, holding me closer as his moaned under my attack, then his touch moved to my rear-end, pulling me to his trusts, pushing further inside of me and taking my breath away.

My legs slipped form his sides, falling around his thighs, my feet landing on his calves, my toes digging into his skin. I unwrapped my arms from around him and laid back down on the bed, keeping my hands on his face, feeling his stubble, enjoying the feel of it dragging against my skin.

Ezio sat up straight, placing his left hand on my knee for support while his right took a hold of my hip, moving me against him while his fingers pressed sweet designs into my skin. I found out that he was quivering, his fingers shivering against my skin, and then I realized how unsteady he seemed to be, his breath shaky, his eyes half closed in delight and pleasure, the muscles in his chest and stomach flexed and glistening with sweat. God, just watching him made something inside me heat furiously, rising my pleasure to a level far more than I remembered. What made it all the more unbearable, yet so wonderful, was that he started to hit that spot so deep within me. Pounding against it repeatedly. It made me cry out, arching towards him as my head pressed back against the bed beneath me. My hands found nowhere to grip on to other than my own breasts. I could not really understand what I was—well, what _either_ of us were saying at that moment. I knew his name was strung in between my breaths, begging him to go faster, to hit harder, and his voice was all but lost to the sound of my beating heart.

Ezio then complied to my cries, drawing out almost all of the way before ramming himself back in, growling out with every buck of his hips, to which my own hips rolled against his, feeling him against every angle inside of me, making me near that wonderful edge of bliss, my mouth opened wide in a silent plea. It surprised me when Ezio leaned back over me, once again changing the angle of his thrusts, and he began to kiss me, hard and desperate, his tongue pulsing into my mouth in a mimic of what he really was doing to me.

It was too much. Everything seemed to be moving so fast all of a sudden. Desperate to hold on to the moment, the closeness of Ezio that I hadn't felt in years, I reached up and tangled my fingers into his hair, pulling it loose from it's loose ponytail, needing something tangible to cling to so I could hold on just a little more.

Something like a sort of whimpering kept beating out of my lips, breaking Ezio's kiss every so often, Ezio grunting out harbored and short breaths. His name started to appear on my lips like a soft chant while trying to release the pressure that had built so swiftly inside of me.

Something inside of me burst into a million lights inside of me, like the fireworks that exploded out in the sky, warming me to my core, sending a wave of immense pleasure through my veins in fiery hot passion. My hands gripped so tight onto Ezio's broad, strong neck, a scream building up in my chest before I let it go, flinging my head back as my legs pressed into Ezio's legs, trying to hold onto the tip of the pleasure, but wanting to rid of it all at the same time. Upon my release, I felt Ezio's mouth open on my neck, a low, loud growl seeping through his clenched teeth, his hands gripping onto my hips, and then that wonderful, hot spreading feeling in the lowest part of my tummy, Ezio filling me with his seed.

We just stayed like that for a moment, frozen in the aftermath of the pleasure that began to subside slowly, coming down off the cliffs together. Slowly, my hands slipped away from his sweaty neck, moving down to his chest, feeling his rampant heart beat under my touch, his chest heaving with heavy breaths, my own doing much the same.

Prying his hands from my hips, he pulled out of me, his glorious organ now soft and clearly wrung out. Ezio's large hands then cupped around my face, steadying himself before me kissed me once, twice before pressing his forehead to mine, staring me in the eye.

There was something about the situation that made me want to laugh. I started to giggle and threw my arms up around him and bringing my legs up around his narrow waist. Laughing himself, Ezio wrapped one arm around me and rolled us around so that I was sitting on his stomach, my hair a wild, damp mess around me as I braced myself against his chest, smiling down at him.

Ezio grinned and gave me a cute little shrug, resting his hands on my hips. "Haven't lost your touch over the years, have you?"

I shook my head, smiling. "Obviously not."

* * *

I was briefly distracted when I heard the loud popping noises outside, making me look towards the window that was closed off with curtains.

"Fireworks?" I looked back down at Ezio, suddenly confused. "Do they shoot these things off all night?"

Ezio nodded. "Yep. I'm pretty sure they do until a few hours before dawn."

My fingers began to draw little random lines on Ezio's chest. "Can we uh...watch them?"

After a moment of watching me, Ezio finally sighed then moved me aside; grabbing the blanket we were on before he pointed to the window. "Out on the sill; let's go."

Giving a small laugh of excitement, I scrambled off the bed and threw open the curtains, looking through the window and up at the bright lights, still able to become mesmerized by it all. Ezio walked up next to me, opening the window with a simple push, the shutters swinging outside. From that point, I climbed up onto the windowsill, flinging my legs out of the window and letting the cool night air press into my skin. With the window open, I could now hear the loud explosions clearly.

Not too long afterward, Ezio climbed up next to me, draping the blanket over my shoulders before he pulled me to him and wrapped the blanket around me, huddling both of us into a warm cocoon.

As I looked up into the sky, watching my new found, favorite thing, I began to realize just how...well, right everything seemed to be at that moment. When I thought back on my memories, all that I could remember, that was never a time where I had been so happy before. Right then, nothing could have made life better. I snuggled down into Ezio's side, sighing loudly and hearing his now uniform heartbeat thrumming in my ear. His warmth and the blanket made me feel safe and secure, my damp hair allowing to cool my body down from the events of the night.

Ezio's head was placed on mine, his voice humming lightly in his throat. "Narina?"

I felt his lips press against my head, and I realized that I had closed my eyes, opening them to his voice. "Hm? What is it?" I whispered, feeling suddenly weary.

His arm around my waist tightened. "How was your first _Il Carnevale_?"

"Well," I started, leaning on him, smiling to myself. "I think it could have went better."

Ezio paused for a moment, humming under his breath before he answered, "Well, we always have next year to try again."

I laughed warmly. "Sorry I'm such a controlling bitch," I added on, closing my eyes and feeling extremely tired all of a sudden.

"Sorry I'm such an insensitive _asino_," he replied, as much of a smile in his voice than I felt on my own lips.

I guess that would have to do for now. Really, I was not asking for more—I was happy with what I had gotten already. Taking a deep breath, I snuggled deeper into Ezio's embrace.

* * *

**Ugh.  
Sexy time. :I I hate writing them (not really) but I really do hate posting them. If you feel the need to yell at me and what not...please be gentle. *hides in corner * I didn't want the sex to be the main concern in this, so I steered away from any _really_ in-depth explanations, and that's why it's so short. I wanted the reason behind the whole thing to be the main point, so I hope all of you got that... (Those who read it anyway...)**

**So! This is where the story twists around and we start heading for the climax. Sad thing is, this story is almost over. I wanted to get in a little lovey dovey before we moved on to the more important things, then maybe I'll add a few filler chapters here and there just to give Ezio and Narina more time...is that considered a spoiler? *shrugs * Oh well.**

**I'd love suggestions for a writing project to do after I wrap up the whole ordeal with this story (hint hint: there might be a prequel to this) and then I have to write Tamair's story since :Dragons-Maiden's: wants me to do that. But then after that, I haven't anything to do. So suggestions are welcomed!**

**Oh, another question: Have any of you read _The Great Gatsby_? My God, I love it! :3 It's such a deep book!**

**Thanks to HanashiNoSensu for betaing this beast! :D  
**

**Thanks for reading and please review! :3**


	36. Two Birds, One Stone

**-Well, I must say I feel awful about a certain something...although I can't say because it would ruin the story for most of you.  
-So, this chapter was delayed a bit. I went on a school trip a while back and while I was on that trip, my dog died so I've been having to take care of all of that stuff. :C It's sad.  
-As for the chapter title... eh, I couldn't come up with anything, so I just used what the mission was called in the game. :3 That's how lazy I am.  
**

**Thanks for reviewing!  
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* * *

**Chapter 35: Two Birds, One Stone  
**

I was woken up abruptly with a harsh noise, making me flinch in shock. For a moment, I was at a loss as to where I was, my eyes blinking rapidly, darting around. Wherever I was, it was dark, and I couldn't see a thing until my eyes would adjust. Instead, I focused on my other senses. I was definitely warm, wrapped in snugness that calmed me considerably. The material of the blanket was rubbing against my skin, so I didn't think I had clothes on, and there was a hot brand draped over my waist...

Finally, my eyes adjusted and I twisted my head around slowly, looking around the room, trying to remember where I was. I jumped again when I heard the loud noise, my head snapping for to the side, making me look over my shoulder. As I stared at the provider of the noise, I felt my tired face slowly rise into a smile, like the morning sun peeking over the mountains. With his mouth half open and his eye lightly twitching, Ezio breathed on me, giving me an unpleasant dose of his morning breath but it was still somehow charming. I watched him for a while, finding it hard not to giggle whenever he would snore in his throat and twitch his nose afterwords. Feeling the sudden urge to kiss him, I denied it by forcing myself to push myself up so I was sitting up, removing his arm around my waist slowly and carefully. I rubbed my face with my hands, my fingers feeling swollen due to the fact that I had obviously been retaining water. With one sigh and a yawn quickly afterward, I pushed my arms forward until my shoulders popped, then I wiggled my way back under the blanket to snuggle up into Ezio's side. The heat was actually a little bit too much (I felt all sweaty and stuff), but I found it all much too endearing to not enjoy. A smile found its way onto my lips when I felt Ezio's arm slither back around my waist, holding me to him as if I were his teddy bear. Convincing myself that it was too early to get up anyway, I sighed in contentment then closed my eyes, allowing myself to fall asleep.

When I managed to wake up again, Ezio was gone this time. The sun held it's place near the middle of the sky that beamed down upon me. I squirmed around on the bed for moment, kicking aside the blankets, and then I simply laid in the patch of warm sun. Taking a moment to think, I remembered about the carnival and how much fun it had been. I was excited to spend the next three days in the festive streets.

Sitting up and yawning, I saw that my normal clothes were folded at the end of the bed and I felt relieved when I remembered (with much chagrin, might I add) that Ezio had ripped my clothes apart the night before. Slowly and carefully, I crawled out of the bed and stood up. Almost immediately I collapsed under the sharp pain my ankle was suddenly enduring. Then I remembered about how I had hurt my ankle and I began to favor the foot by hobbling around more (which made it difficult to dress, too.)

Once I was dressed in my snug, normal clothes, I headed down towards the front room, hoping to find Ezio, Teodora, or someone I at least knew. There was no Ezio or Teodora, but I did spot Emiliana with Lucina in the corner of the room, both of them giggling and fluttering their eyes at their male customers. As I approached them, they both gasped and giggled, pulling me into a quick hug.

"Oh Narina," they sang. "Congrats!"

Immediately, I knew what they were talking about. Flushing and giving them a quick squeeze before I pulled away from the hug, I said "Sorry that I'm such a loud fuck." Another chorus of giggles bubbled from their throats. We spent a few minutes discussing the cancellation of the carnival since the Doge had been murdered (and I was terribly sad to hear about no more carnival), then we started to all giggled and pass around hushed whispers about our "accomplishments" of the night. By the time Ezio walked into the building, gone out for shopping or something, both Emiliana and Lucina were sitting on a couch with me, our heads inclined together.

Upon Ezio's arrival, both of the courtesans busted up in a fit of giggles and pushed me up, leaving Ezio and I "alone". If they were expecting Ezio and I to get it on right here, right now, they were sadly mistaken.

Instead of ravishing upon him, I calmly walked up to him, cocked my hip and folded my arms. "Morning," I greeted with a smile.

"It's more afternoon than morning, but, yes; good morning." Ezio winked.

Trying not to make it awkward, I shifted my gaze to the full pouch Ezio was carrying. "What did you buy?" I wondered.

He held up the bag proudly. "Bullets. Lots and lots of bullets."

"Really?" I was slightly surprised. "Where the hell do you buy bullets?"

"I had the smith customize some for me," Ezio explained. "Might have been expensive, but it was worth it!"

I frowned. "You better not be shooting a gun that much."

"Not around you, no." He placed the bag of lead on his belt, then he reached out to me and took a hold of my wrist. "You heard about the carnival, right?"

"Yeah." I sighed sadly. "It's canceled."

Ezio saw my melancholic expression and wriggled my hand. "We still have time to have fun. Let's go to Antonio's and on the way there we'll see if there's any place we can buy fireworks."

That lifted my spirits, and with a smiled I nodded eagerly. "Sounds good!" Without a goodbye to anyone, Ezio led me out of the church with a hand that eventually slide from my wrist to entangle with my fingers.

* * *

Much to my pleasure, we found a few stands that were still up and selling the fireworks that weren't able to be shot off the night before. They might have been expensive but when I tried to say we didn't have to buy them, he bought them any way with a smile on his face.

"We'll shoot them off tonight," Ezio said, holding out the fireworks to me to look at.

"Okay." I took a hold of the long cylinders and rolled them in my hands before I reached out and put them in a flap of Ezio's robes. With a smile on my face, my hand finding his waiting once again, his thick and long fingers fitting with mine seemingly perfect.

Antonio wasn't in Seta when we arrived but Ugo and Rosa were. I was excited to see them again because it seemed like forever since I had seen them last. Instead of waiting for Antonio to come back, Ezio, Ugo, Rosa, and I decide to wander around the city to scour for lost florins. Ezio hadn't raised such a fuss about the Doge's death this time (it seemed like no body really cared even), so we were able to go about peacefully.

Ugo thought it would be fun if we had a swimming race but Rosa and I declined, letting the boys go about their little competition. By the end of the race, both Rosa and I were cheering for Ezio and Ugo got all butt-hurt and declared that there would be no more races.

Sometime during the day, Ugo took one of my precious fireworks, lit it with a small torch out in the streets and shot it at a group of guards, making all of us haul ass up to the rooftops and try to escape the whole northern guard faction. Ezio found it so fun that he had to try it too and then we added the eastern guard of the city to our wild goose chase. Since there were so many people filing through the streets from _il Carnevale_, we were able to escape the guards quickly enough that we still had smiles on our faces by the time we became incognito again.

At one point of the approaching evening, we all climbed up on a high tower and on the slow incline of the roof, we all lounged back and stared up at the vibrant and vastly warm sunset that placed its warm and colorful rays among the city and shimmering waves.

Rosa broke the silence momentarily by sighing, then I guess Ugo felt obliged to say something too, almost as if they were having a secret competition. "Hey, we should shoot off the rest of the fireworks," he said excitedly, turning on his side to regard Ezio.

Ezio looked to his other side to me and watched me look up at him for a moment. Then turning back, he said, "We will when it gets darker—shooting in the sunlight won't be near as pretty." I knew that he felt bad about wasting two of the fireworks already and I couldn't help but smile at the thought.

Rosa and Ugo suddenly started to bicker, swinging playful fists at each other—something about it seemed very familiar and a wave of nostalgia washed over me. I sat up to watch them spit distasteful names at each other and Ezio propped himself up on his elbows to watch them as well, his hood falling back over his shoulders.

"Why don't you two just fuck and get it over with?" Ezio suddenly blurted out.

The two stopped and stared blankly at Ezio.

"Ha!" Rosa snorted and folded her arms. "Me? Sleep with Ugo? Never!"

"Yeah, no kidding!" Ugo exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "It's not like there's any man out there who wants to sleep with some stuck up cunt!"

I flinched. That was going a bit too far, even if they were just playing. "Ugo—both of you—can you please shut up and enjoy the sunset?" I reached my hands out towards the bright sun disappearing behind the mountains. "This should make your insides melt and get all mushy, not make you pissed at each other."

"Narina," Ezio put in, looking over at me with a smile on his face. "Let them do their mating dance. You forget you and I always used to fight and bitch and moan at each other."

"We still do," I pointed out, raising a brow.

"Yeah, but it's different for us now, isn't it?"

I looked back up to Ugo and Rosa, of whom were now ignoring us again, nasty swears streaming out of their mouths, then I looked back to Ezio who was regarding me quietly. When I thought about how we always used to fight, it was different now than it was back then. Before, it was always playful in a way; we both knew that we didn't mean what we said. But now when we argued, it was always a much more serious matter at hand. I wasn't sure if that difference was good or not. Something more valuable was on the line than just a simple friendship.

"Yes, it is," I whispered, dropping my eyes.

He must have seen my saddened look because he reached out and took a hold of my arm, pushing himself up off of the roof. "Let's go find a good spot to light off the fireworks."

Even the mention of fireworks didn't really cheer me up but I did smile at him and let him pull me up. We would have told Ugo and Rosa to come with, but they were too much into a violent conversation that it didn't seem right to break them up; Ezio was right about the fact that this was their mating dance. You could sense the strained emotions behind the crude slings. So without a word, Ezio and I leaped to another roof and headed for a towards in the Northern District

By the time we got to the tower and climbed its tall structure, the sun had disappeared and the sky was glowing with both the city's lights and the dotted stars in the sky. We hunched over on the roof, surrounding the fireworks that Ezio had placed out. "We need a flame," I pointed out, not liking the thought of having to climb all the way back down to the streets to find a torch.

"Already thought of that." Ezio pulled out a flint from one of his pouches, a handful of brittle hay from another, and started to strike the flint, making sparks fly out at the dried up pieces of hay. It took a few tries but finally the sparks caught and a small flame dwindled. Ezio quickly held the flame to the firework's fuse, a long cloth looking thread, before the thread itself started to spark and flame. With a simple raise of his elbow, he aimed the firework for the sky. When the fuse finally ended, the colorful tube of wonders rocketed into the sky, a loud whistling noise cutting the air. I watched with awe at the trail of smoke that was left in the wake of the firecracker.

Just when I thought it wasn't going to work, it exploded in the sky with a loud _BANG_ that echoed throughout the entire city. Bright red and golden embers shone brightly in the aftermath, silently falling down and losing their glow almost immediately. Even then, it was still the most amazing thing that I had ever seen.

Forgetting my earlier worry, I felt giddy once more and I turned excitedly towards Ezio. "Light another one! Light another one!"

We spent the next good twenty minutes lighting off the fireworks we had, mesmerized by the falling smolders that simmered in the sky. Down on the streets we had gathered a big crowd to watch the lights as well. Rosa and Ugo found us again, angry that we had left them, but too distracted to actually whine about it. I felt myself almost depressed when Ezio announced that our last firework was gone.

"Can we buy more?" I asked with an innocent smile.

With a small smile, Ezio looked away without an answer; but I knew he was saying no.

On our way back to Seta, Ezio and I watched Ugo and Rosa in front of us, pushing at each other, completely oblivious to us behind them. When Rosa went to push Ugo away one time, he caught her hand in his... and didn't let go. Although they didn't stop bickering, their hands folded together and Ezio and I looked at each other smiling. The mating dance wouldn't last much longer—the so-called ritual would be done within a few days.

* * *

A week passed before Ezio and I actually caught up with Antonio. Instead of actually staying at Seta, Leonardo had insisted that we stay at his place and he used Ezio as a model for one of his commissions. After the four days it took Leonardo to get the basic form of Ezio's figure and after I giggled and teased Ezio for having to pose half naked, one of the thieves from the guild stopped by and told us that Antonio wanted us to meet him.

As we walked through the streets, I looked up at Ezio. "Do you think this means our vacation is over?" The morning sun was so blinding already and I had to squint against it.

Ezio smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah, most likely. When Antonio calls for a meeting, it usually means business."

"Do you think he found a new Doge?" I asked, knowing that was the prime objective right now.

"Possibly. There's only one way to find out." He put a hand on the small of my back to lead me into the courtyard of the Seta, nodding to the familiar thieves sitting around before we walked into the building. Inside, Rosa met up with us and led us up into the room that Antonio was in waiting for us.

Before we walked into the room, I asked "Should I go in?"

Ezio gave me an odd look. "Why not?"

"Well, I don't know—he did just call _you_."

Rolling his eyes, Ezio put his arm about my waist and walked into the room. Two men were sitting in chairs, both of them looking up when we walked in. One of them was Antonio; the other was a man I had never seen before. Antonio smiled at our entry, standing up from his chair. "Ezio, Narina! How good to see you again!" After he shook hands with Ezio, he gave me a one-armed hug, swinging me around to sit me in an open chair. "Glad you two could make it." Antonio chuckled and elbowed Ezio, gesturing to the other man sitting in the chair. "Ezio, I want to introduce to to an...uh, an associate of mine. This is Agostino Babarigo—soon to be Doge of Venice thanks to you."

The Babarigo man nodded and bowed to Ezio and then to me as well. Even though his name made me wary, I nodded back and kept my wits about me.

Ezio was much more kind. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Ezio hummed, bowing as well. Then standing straight, he added "I'm sorry about your brother."

Agostino nodded understandingly. "He had it coming. He sold himself to the Borgia—he was their puppet. I will make sure I never buy myself into such a mistake."

Antonio reached out to Ezio, touching his shoulder. "Come sit, Ezio. We've much to discuss."

As Ezio went and sat in the chair across from me, a table between all the chairs, Antonio sat as well and folded his hands in his lap. More rapidly now, I felt my carefree week slip from my hands, the more composed and more thoughtful Narina coming back over. I began to listen very carefully.

"Good news, Ezio; we've located Silvio for you, but he had fled to L'Arsenale."

Agostino snorted loudly. "'Fled'? You mean occupied! And to add to that, he has two hundred mercenaries with him!"

Both of the men were staring at Ezio but I thought of something. "But, aren't you Doge?" I asked.

Agostino only briefly looked at me before Ezio continued for me, gaining Agostino's attention once more."Yes. Can't you do something about it? Clear out the men?"

"I am not Doge just yet," explained the man. "The committee of forty one has yet to confirm my accession." Ezio inclined his head in realization. "Added to that," Agostino continued, "Silvio's little act has made things worse." The man flung his arms in the air in exasperation. "He has an entire army at his command!"

Ezio thought for a brief moment. Then quickly and strongly he said, "Then help me raise my own army."

Antonio chuckled and leaned forward in his seat. "I thought you would say such things, Ezio. Bartolomeo d'Alviano is the man that you need to search for. He and his men—his faction—have little love for Silvio. He would be more than willing to help you raise an army before a common enemy."

A smile ghosted upon Ezio's lips. "Where can I find this man?"

"In the military district southwest of L'Arsenale."

"It's decided then." Ezio stood up from his seat and almost immediately, I followed in suite. "I'll go and see him." He looked at me before walking around the table and brushing against me, telling me non-verbally to follow him. "I'll try to send reports back with what happens."

"Good luck, Ezio." Antonio paused. "And you be safe Narina."

"Thanks." I smiled, waved to Antonio and bowed to Agostino before I followed Ezio out the door.

Before I closed the door all the way, I heard Agostino say to Antonio, "What a lucky man."

* * *

As Ezio and I walked towards L'Arsenale, we kept a close eye out for anything suspicious—we both knew that it would be much to easy just to waltz into the Military district and find this Bartolomeo fella. Things never worked out in our favor in these kind of situations and we knew that well by now. We actually weren't that far into the district when suddenly Ezio held out an arm to stop me from walking, the shadow over his face suddenly seeming more darker and mysterious.

"What is it?" I asked, looking around.

"Shh," he whispered. "Don't you hear it?"

I strained my ears to try and give myself super hearing abilities and although that failed epically, I did hear out a low cry that called for help. Both Ezio and I looked around in jerky movement, trying to find out the source of the voice. Finally, Ezio took a step away. "It's coming from the rooftops," he said, moving towards the wall of a nearby building. I followed behind him quickly. Once we were up above the city, we started to look around and listen carefully again.

"_Sono qui_," the voice cried out in a sort of agony. "_Vi prego. Aiutami_."

"Over there," Ezio hummed to me, pointing to a roof across the way. Without hesitation, we ran across the rooftops and dropped down to the low roof. Beside a square roof garden was a bleeding man sprawled out on the rooftop. He was breathing heavily and stared up at us with hooded eyes. Without really much of a thought, I dropped down beside the injured man, assessing all the wounds he had and the arrow that was pierced through his side. He was shaking violently, his body falling to spasms.

"What's happened here?" Ezio demanded, kneeling in front of the man as well.

"It—it was Silvio's men," the man spluttered out. "They attacked us and ran us out...they—they ransacked the place." I reached out to try and soothe the man.

"What about Bartolomeo?" Ezio wondered, reaching over and taking a hold of my hand, telling me silently that it was too late for this man.

"Silvio's men...they took him and...and...took him North...into the district..." Then in one final moment, the man shuddered softly and fell limp. I had steeled myself for things like this, but it never failed to make me want to cry. Everything stood still for a moment until Ezio finally reached forward and pressed the man's eyes closed.

"Requiescat _in pace,_" he whispered. When he stood up, he gave me a look that had me standing as well. "Sounds like things are going to be harder than we first thought."

On our way down the buildings, I caught and held onto Ezio's gloved hand. When he looked down at me, I voiced my concern. "Ezio, if these men were able to take down a whole faction, how are we supposed to survive?"

With a small squeeze of his fingers, he smiled at me softly. "I'm not sure, but we always seem to get lucky." That was true but we had had so many close calls that I wasn't sure I wanted to try any more. Still, I followed Ezio silently as we advanced north, trying to find any sign of Silvio's men.

Turns out, we didn't have to look very long. As we walked through the streets, a loud voice cut through the air, brash and harsh swears stringing along the noise. When we approached the voice the words grew more distinct and it didn't take a genius to know that it was Bartolomeo.

"I will not be locked up in some damn cage like an animal!" The man yelled out violently. "If you're a man, prove it! Let me out of here and fight me like a man! I could beat you all with one—no, two hands behind my back! That would make it at least difficult enough to be interesting!"

Hidden in the shadows of the tall buildings near the canal, Ezio spotted a large group of guards standing around a cage that was up against a building. Within that cage was a tall man, short cropped hair and a thin but thorough beard along his jaw and chin. Shaking his head and seeing that we weren't going to get anywhere with all those guards there, Ezio held out a hand to stop me from advancing as he thought. "We need a brief distraction. I can't take them all on at once," he mumbled.

"I could use my new-found courtesan skills!" I teased, grinning up at Ezio. He didn't find it nearly as amusing as I did and he frowned in disapproval. I frowned too. "Fine. I could have them chase me to lead them away while you get Bartolomeo out." I quickly continued when he gave me a further look of disapproval. "I'm a a hell of a lot better climber than any of these heavily armored guards—I can loop around and be back before you know it." When I saw he was considering it, I reminded him in a low breath that I could drop a man with one pinch and finally he agreed.

"Make sure that you climb fast," Ezio warned. "I swear to God if you get hurt, I'll be so upset with you."

I knew that his threat was empty, so I simply waved it off. "Yeah, sure, sure. I'll be back." I walked out from the shadows of the building and began to sprint towards the guards, deliberately pushing into the large group to knock over a few and to get the rest to yell out at me and then to billow after me like angry bulls. I never let up, my legs flying under me. With the wind blowing through my hair and the ground beneath me speeding by, I felt a grin appear on my face, the exhilaration over-taking me and making me giggle out loud. I hoped that they heard me because then that would have been a huge kick in the balls—a small girl running from them—_beating_ them—and then laughing at them as she fled.

But I was no runner, so as soon as I was safely able, I flung myself up the side of a building, finding it harder and harder with ever year that passed to pull myself up. Yet, I was still faster than any of the guards, and soon I was bounding across the rooftops back to the area that Bartolomeo had been in. I had gone farther than I realized, because it took a while to get back to the clearing, but when I did, Ezio had the job done and was opening the cage that Bartolomeo was in.

"It's about goddamn time!" The huge man yelled in his cage as Ezio fiddled with the lock. "I don't know if I should slap you or kiss you." A pause as Ezio swung open the door and Bartolomeo stepped out. "Maybe both...just to be safe."

I snickered as Ezio raised his hands in a retort. "That's quite alright."

Bartolomeo's eyes roamed over Ezio's body as if the man was gauging how dangerous Ezio was. "And who are you?"

"I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze," Ezio said formally, his head nodding a bit. "I am here to rescue you from your uh..." Ezio looked to the prison. "...cage."

"Rescue?" Bartolomeo laughed boisterously. "We'll see who ends up saving who, boy."

I realized Ezio's eyes were darting around, tuning out Bartolomeo for the moment. Seeing my cue, I flung myself over the edge of the roof and dropped down to the ground, grunting and straightening before hustling over to Ezio. "Done and done," I said with a grin. "The idiots are still trying to climb the buildings no doubt." Ezio smiled back, his shoulders seeming to loosen up a bit at the sight that I was really okay.

Surprisingly, I heard Bartolomeo scoff. "And who is this?" I faced him, judging his face which showed a degree of unpleasant nature, but before I could confront him and introduce myself, the pounding of footfall on the stone paths directed all three of our attentions elsewhere.

"There!" At the mouth of the area was the group of guards that I had distracted. Most of them were out of breath but the leader straightened out his shoulders, pointed and yelled, "Stop them! Before they get away." Ezio drew his sword, pulling me behind him immediately as Bartolomeo replaced my spot beside Ezio and raised his fists. Although feeling a little miffed that Ezio thought I wasn't going to fight, it was still pretty cool to see Bartolomeo comply so quickly.

The guards all came, surrounding us in a large circle as they judged their enemy. I put myself into a fighting stance as well, coming up with the fact that it had been a long time since I had actually done some fighting but I was willing all the same. Besides, after spending four years with pressure points, one is not likely to forget those lessons.

It happened all at once; the guards swung forward with their drawn swords and Ezio and Bartolomeo broke out into action. I played around a bit with my dodging training and twisted around as two guards began to attack me. Finally, my opening was presented; one of the guards lifted their sword up into the air for a supposed 'last hit' but I lurched forward, stepped on the toe of his boot, pressed the knuckles of my left hand into his soft spot under his armpit and the finger tips of my right against his jaw. Just like that, with a little push, the man sprawled out, his sword falling to the ground and he cradled himself on the ground. Within the same movement, I was prepared to dodge another swing from the other man and even when I did, it was pointless. Ezio had finished his guards and moved onto my last one, swinging the sword down into the mans shoulder, then kicking him off with a thud of his leather boot.

Something came over me and I picked up my first victims sword from the ground and chucked it at an expectant Bartolomeo, who caught it and stared at me silently.

"Let's get back to the base," Ezio suggested, sheathing his sword, all the guards dealt with. "We can discuss our movements from there."

"But Silvio's men have that place under their thumbs," I pointed out, folding my arms and looking away from Bartolomeo. "We're not going to get in without a fight."

"Then let it be!" Bartolomeo burst out, raising his weapon in the air. "Bartolomeo is always ready for a fight!"

"Let us go then," Ezio claimed, nodding to Bartolomeo and then to me. "And keep your wits about you."

With that, we all began to walk through the streets again, keeping our backs in the shadows and our eyes in front of us. If there was any way, I knew Ezio would go through this without battle—I'm guessing the years and years of bloodshed made him realize that it wasn't the best way to solve things. And it worked out wonderfully. In the long shot, we only had to kill about five more guards and knock out three or so. I could tell Bartolomeo was itching for more of a fight, but I was more than happy enough with the way things turned out.

However, when we approached Bartolomeo's place, there were three guards hiding in the shadows of the entrance. Upon our approach, they moved out into the street, automatically recognizing Bartolomeo immediately.

"If you were smart," one of them cajoled, "you'd stand down and save your life."

The big man took a step forward in front of Ezio and I, making his stance even broader and more noticeable. "Never!" He cried out. "What good is a man's life if it is not lived free? I will _never_ go back into that cage!"

Automatically, the guards drew their swords and aimed the tips at Bartolomeo. "Then you will find yourself in the ground."

Ezio took a step forward now too and pulled out his blade, showing that Bartolomeo wasn't alone. I would have done the same but I think we all knew that would have backfired terribly. So I kept my ground behind the men but still positioned myself for battle. Blades started to swing, slicing the air and soon after, blood streamed through the street, the droplets falling from the tips of both Ezio's and Bartolomeo's blades. The only thing bloody on me now where the soles of my boots and one splatter on my left hand.

We stood around for a silent moment before Bartolomeo sighed deeply. "What a mess they've made of my home..." He went eerily stiff all of a sudden. "Bianca!" He cried out, rushing forward towards the door, flying inside. "I hope she is unharmed."

It was kind of strange to consider that he had a sweet-heart, but it was still endearing and made me smile a little on the inside. Hearing Bartolomeo cry out in concern must have reminded Ezio to worry about my well being, because he looked to me suddenly and held out his hand, beckoning me to come with him.

We quickly followed Bartolomeo into the building, finding ourselves in a ruined room, things cluttered and thrown all about. With great earnest now, the hulk of a man was searching the destroyed room. "Bianca!" he called out, throwing aside a broken box. "Bianca!"

"Is everything alright?" Ezio wondered, gazing around the room.

"What do you think?" Bartolomeo snapped, looking behind an overturned table. "Look at this place!" He suddenly reached up and rubbed his face. "And poor Bianca...if anything happened to her..."He composed himself and began to search around again, turning over a few more boxes and gazing intently into the darkened corners. Starting to get a little worried myself, I too began to look around the room. I felt almost bad for the way Bartolomeo was freaking out about his lost Bianca and I desperately searched for a woman anywhere in the room.

"Ah-ha!" Both Ezio and I looked up to see Bartolomeo grinning widely before he knelt down behind a desk. I stood straight, happy that he had found his lover...wait. He stood up, grinning at himself in the reflection of a long and broad sword. "Ah, my darling! Thank God you are alright!" A small wave of shock mixed with a form of disappointment rushed over me. Bianca was his sword, not his girl. It was sort of strange to see a grown man fawn over an inanimate object. Bartolomeo, still grinning, walked around the desk and swung the sword out towards Ezio, the tip of the sword only a mere inch away from Ezio's nose. "Bianca, this is Ezio. Ezio, Bianca," Bartolomeo grinned.

Ezio stared at the tip of the sword for a moment, his face falling into a faint form of disbelief before he reached up and brushed the sword away, mumbling a drawn out "Charmed" under his breath.

As Bartolomeo put the sword down, shuffling it in his hands, he looked up at Ezio. "So, I know your name but not why you are here."

Ezio nodded. "I have business with Silvio Babarigo. I was told you could help me."

A grin. "You can count me in. It would be an honor."

"But I think it's going to take more than the three-," Ezio stopped suddenly, then started over, "the _four_ of us to stop him."

"I will go and gather my men. Prepare them for battle." Bartolomeo glanced at me. "In the meantime, you should go and release those men who have been captured. I cannot in good conscious leave them behind."

Ezio reached out and took a hold of the man's shoulder. "Consider it done."

Bartolomeo's eyes were still on me. "What is your friend's name?" He asked.

"Narina," Ezio said, gazing at me as well. I held out my hand for the man to take. "It's a pleasure."

His grip was strong and his shake was firm. "The pleasure is all mine."

"Narina could help you fix up the place while I am gone," Ezio suggested, glancing at me to make sure it was okay.

"Right." I nodded towards Bartolomeo who nodded back. "She will stay here for a bit then—this place is a mess."

Although I _did_ hate cleaning, I valiantly claimed "It's nothing that I can't handle. It will be done."

Another nod. "Very well."

Ezio announced his leave, gave me another look before acknowledging Bartolomeo's wishes of good luck and then he was out the door, gone down the streets.

* * *

Immediately, I began to tidy the room, picking up furniture and the crates that weren't broken, and then gathering all of the broken pieces of wood and such and put them into one pile. Bartolomeo watched me closely for a minute and when I looked at him questioningly, he finally looked away and claimed that he was going to go gather his men for battle. I thought it was strange that he would stare at me so intently. It was like he was judging me, and it slightly made me uncomfortable. I began to rearrange the room in a orderly manner—the side tables straightened, the desks lined up against the walls. After poking around for a bit, I found a discarded broom and began to sweep the room, creating a large dust cloud in the room. I kept the washing down to a minimal because I knew that there were other rooms in the house that were just as badly trashed. Not knowing how much time had passed already, I moved from room to room, picking up, cleaning, dusting, sweeping—it was the same thing over and over again and I got so tired of it, I actually considered just dropping the whole thing. Finally, Bartolomeo came back and offered his help and just like that, the time seemed to be cut in half and before I knew it, we were all done.

As I began to scrub the floors, I caught Bartolomeo staring at me again. I was sick and tired of it. I sat up, blowing away a stray hair that was hanging in my eyes, then I looked up at Bartolomeo questioningly. "If you want to say something," I started, wringing out the cloth, "go ahead and say it."

His eyes widened innocently. "Who, me?"

Annoyed, I looked briefly around the room and replied, "No, I'm talking to my best friend Juan over in the corner—_yes_, of course you! You've been staring at me like I have a growth on my forehead!" For a moment I felt self-conscious and reached up to touch my forehead to make sure I didn't actually have a growth.

Bartolomeo looked away, leaning back on a desk as he stroked his cropped beard. "It is just strange to find a woman running around with the notorious assassin."

"Is it really?" I asked skeptically. "From what I've heard, almost everyone has heard of me as his traveling companion."

"Yet you are so dainty and tiny," Bartolomeo pointed out. "You're right—I have heard about you but I was always so sure that you were simply burdening Ezio as being a distraction." His hand ripped out Bianca from her sheath, the blade whistling through the air as if to make his point clearer. "But you can fight! You are able to defend yourself in such a unique way!"

"You're a fool to try and say all women are usually useless," I pointed out.

"Not all of them. Just the small ones."

I frowned, knowing he was teasing me now. "To be fair, I guess I can't kill like Ezio can." A curious look came over Bartolomeo's face. "It's like something hold me back," I explained, then paused. "Blood almost scares me actually."

"Is that why you use your hands instead of a blade?" I nodded and Bartolomeo hummed, stroking his beard and sheathing his precious Bianca. I went back to scrubbing the floor. "You're his lover, aren't you?" He suddenly asked.

Pausing briefly, I looked up and watched Bartolomeo for a moment. Then I looked back down. "I wouldn't call it that," I mumbled. "Sure, we've fucked—a lot more than once—but I wouldn't say...lovers..."

Bartolomeo obviously heard my view on the situation in my voice because he took a deep breath and said, "I'm not exactly a love guru but I do know when people care about others. Ezio does care about you. You can tell by the way he looks at you."

Not knowing what to say, I kept my eyes down and moved to a different spot to scrub. At that point, the subject was dropped and the cleaning continued. It seemed like hours passed—scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing—I was so sick and tired of scrubbing! But finally—_finally—_the cleaning was done and the place was clean once more.

As I took a step outside to dump the water buckets out into the streets, I looked up and watched a figure approach in the shadows of the buildings. "There you are," I called out to him, smiling. "What took you so long?"

He sighed as he walked up to me, actually stooping over low enough to put his forehead to the top of my head. "There were a lot of people to rescue and a lot of guards. It was more difficult than it sounds."

"Oh?" I reached up and let my fingers pat against his cheeks. "You didn't get hurt, did you?"

He didn't say anything—all he did was stand straight, rip off his leather glove, pull up his sleeve, and flex his arm, showing off a nasty gash that ran along his bicep.

"Ew," I mumbled, and without much of a thought, I put my arms around his waist, looking for his pouch that held medicines. "How do you always manage to hurt yourself?" I whispered, finding the bottle I was looking for, pulling out the cork out of the bottle.

Ezio just grinned. "Gives me a reason to let you fondle me."

I gave him a sharp look, half joking, before I poured the liquid out onto the wound, making Ezio flinch. "Here; let's step inside to find you some bandages to cover this. Do you think it's deep enough for stitches?"

As we walked inside, Ezio shook his head. "Nah, it should heal up fine on its own." Then he looked around the room with curious eyes, a gleam appearing in his gaze. "Wow, you cleaned this place up nice."

I smiled. "Thanks." At that moment, Bartolomeo walked in and assessed the situation. Before he could say anything, I asked him if he had any bandages for Ezio's arm. He left the room again in search for the cloths, and before his return, I continued to dab away the blood the puddled from the wound. "Did you manage to find all the men?" I asked.

"_Si_," Ezio said, watching me carefully. "All of them together is definitely a lot more than what we've ever had before...but judging on how large Silvio's base is, I say we're hardly a fraction of what his army is."

"Hey," I said softly, looking up at him through my eyelashes as I tried to focus on his wound, "you have single handedly broken into the most heavily guarded building in all of Venice and supposedly killed the Doge. I think you'll get by somehow."

"I didn't do it alone," he objected. "I had help, didn't I?" A shiver bolted through me when I felt his fingers brush against my cheek, tilting my face up towards his, his golden eyes melted and scorching.

"Here are your bandages," Bartolomeo blurted, appearing out of nowhere and dropping the cloths in front of me, making me snap out of my sudden trance to look up at the man.

"Oh." I slightly shook my head. "Right. Thanks."

As I bandaged Ezio's arm up, Bartolomeo sat down in a chair at the table as well. "This place looks really nice," Bartolomeo said, grinning. "My home is restored back to its former glory."

"Yes," Ezio hummed, looking around again. "How should we proceed? A direct assault on L'Arsenale?"

"No!" Bartolomeo exclaimed, turning on his heel to start to pace about the room. "We'd be massacred at the gates. But I have another idea, one that will make it much easier."

"Oh?" Ezio gave me a slight nod as I finished wrapping his arm and pulled his sleeve down. "Care to share your idea?"

"_Si_!" Bartolomeo swung back towards us, grinning widely. "I need you to take my men and plant them across the district. The trouble they cause will surely make Silvio dispatch most of his guards."

"And that will leave L'Arsenale unguarded." Ezio stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Then I could move in for the kill."

"Exactly! It'll be so easy that you will be unstoppable."

Ezio stood up from the chair he was in, straightening his robes before he came up next to me, not touching me but his warmth surrounding me. "Let's just hope he takes the bait," I quietly said.

"Oh, he will!" Bartolomeo said confidently. "Now go and place my men about the district. Narina," I looked up to the big man. "You should stay here and help me ready some medicines and bandages—the results of this battle will leave many wounded and I want them to be treated as soon as possible."

"Alright." I glanced up to Ezio, slightly disappointed because I wanted to go with him but I wasn't going to say no to Bartolomeo. I would probably just get in the way anyway. The hooded man noticed my look and smiled softly at me. He reached out and pressed his forefinger to my lips.

"Behave yourself," he said, tapping his fingers once before he swooped around and exited the building.

Bartolomeo was grinning at me when I looked over at him, staring at his reflection in Bianca's shining surface. "The signs are so simple," is all he said before he beckoned me to follow him into the back.

* * *

It took about two hours until Ezio came back. Bartolomeo and I had taken half an hour to ready the medical room in his home. Surprisingly, Bartolomeo gave me a little side job to busy myself that I actually liked—it was cooking. Not anything special and hard, even though I couldn't have done it by myself. The burly man was surprisingly a good cook, and he was very appalled that I as a woman didn't know how to clean or cook. Despite how stereotypical Bartolomeo was, I was actually really happy that he was so willing to baby me so much to teach me the basics of a woman's duties. The men that had stayed to protect Bartolomeo's home all ate my first ever cooked meal and they all liked it enough not to whine about it. With such a thing happening that made me feel so happy and good about myself, I almost found myself disappointed when Ezio came back. Almost.

Bartolomeo called me out of the dining area. "Narina! Ezio's back!" Immediately, I waved goodbye to all of Bartolomeo's men and walked out to the front room, walking up to both Ezio and Bartolomeo. "You've got quite a talented girl in your hold, Ezio," Bartolomeo told the assassin with a grin, throwing his arm around me. "You can thank me later about teaching her how to cook." Both of the men laughed and I somehow felt like the butt of the joke. Then it all got serious, Bartolomeo dropping his arm. "Did you get it done?" he asked.

Ezio nodded. "Yes. Your men are spread all throughout the district."

"Good." The man turned and walked over to one of the shelves in the room, opening a drawer and digging through it. "Here." He held out a colorful stick, twisted with colors. "I hope you know how to use this."

"A firework?" Ezio grinned, throwing me a look. "Of course I do."

"Good. Climb to the highest point in the district and fire it off. This will signal my men to start the attack."

Ezio nodded. "Right." He reached out and took a firm hold of Bartolomeo's shoulder, a move that I had seen Uncle Mario do so many times before. "I will see you on the battlefield."

"That you will. Good luck, my friend." Then Bartolomeo turned towards me. "You go with Ezio. He seems like he's the only man out there who can keep you under his thumb."

"Puh-lease," I said with a grin, holding out my hand for Bartolomeo to take a hold of. "Ezio controlling me? That's a laugh!" He shook my hand strongly, smiling with me. "Good luck, Bartolomeo. You keep Bianca safe."

"I will."

I must have irked Ezio a bit with the last comment about him not controlling me because as soon as we were out of the house, walking down the darkened streets, he reached out and took a hold of my hand and tugged me along behind him.

* * *

It didn't take us long to find the tower that Bartolomeo was referring us to. The tower literally towered over the rest of the district, the prefect place for a signal to be given. I would have climbed up to the top in a matter of minutes and I smiled in the anticipation of climbing up the side of the buildings. However, when we both started to pull ourselves up, Ezio growled out in pain, and beckoned me to wait a moment. Turns out, the wound on his arm didn't like Ezio climbing up so quickly. Babying his wound and our precious time, we inched our way up the tower, Ezio having to take many breaks to shake out his arm to try and get it to stop protesting in pain. It took longer than I would have liked but we managed to finally pull ourselves up onto the roof.

Ezio surprised me when he let me light the firework. He just smiled at me when I asked him why he was letting me, not that I didn't want to or anything. He used the same flint he had used when Ugo, Rosa, Ezio and I watched other fireworks the week before and just like that, the fuse was lit. I held the stick towards the sky, a broad grin on my face as I watched the spark of the fuse countdown my favorite explosion.

The kick from the ejecting firework actually surprised me, making me drop the stick in surprise. As I watched the smoking ball shoot up into the sky, I could hear Ezio chuckling lightly but I didn't pay him any mind. When the explosion lit up the sky with a greenish hue of sparks, it took mere minutes until I heard a commotion down below on the streets. All of Bartolomeo's men were yelling out, causing a ruckus, tipping over street stands and provoking the normal district guards. Not long after, I noticed that a large group of mercenaries left from the L'Arsenale area and I smiled at the thought that our plan had worked.

Ezio took a sudden hold on my arm, pointing down to the streets, near a bridge that arched over the canal. I caught sight of Bartolomeo fighting a broad man, thick and strong looking, swinging an ax around. Bartolomeo held his faithful Bianca in his hands, swinging her carefully yet powerfully.

"He needs my help," Ezio breathed. "I need to get down there before he kills himself."

"There's no way you can..." I faded off, watching Ezio go to the edge of the roof towards the canal.

"Ezio, don't do it!" I objected, seeing what he was going to do.

"Meet us down there as soon as you are able," Ezio said softly before he threw himself over the edge of the building, making me cry out in fear as he plummeted down towards the water below. He made a perfect dive, splashing loudly in the water before he popped up above the surface again, swimming over to where Bartolomeo was. For some weird reason , I had a small moment of panic where I almost considered jumping after Ezio but I had to remind myself several times that I couldn't swim. Finally, I got my wits about me enough to climb down the building as quickly as possible and ran towards the battle. As I was crossing over the bridge that led to where the two men were fighting, the big man, who I saw was Dante fled through an alleyway, guards flooding in and filling his position. I arrived just in time to help take down two guys by kicking the back of their knees to drop them and then knocking them out by pressing the softest pressure points in their necks. There was no time to assess each other, for Bartolomeo sheathed Bianca and ran the way Dante had gone.

"After him!" He yelled out, hell bent on finding his opponent.

Ezio too sheathed his sword and ran after Bartolomeo, not waiting for me as if he was so sure that I would follow. So I did, focusing on my surroundings as I followed the flip of Ezio's robes. Bartolomeo was obviously a fast runner, because it didn't take us long to find the spot where Bartolomeo had caught up to Dante and was now fighting him. A group of Bartolomeo's men were helping fight the mercenaries that had come to Dante's aid. As Ezio ran into the brawl with his sword pulled, I heard a laugh echo across the small plaza and I looked up to find a man up on a higher level.

Silvio Babarigo.

"He's a fine specimen, is he not?" Silvio called out across the clearing. "You should be honored to die by his hand!"

"Suck my balls, you piece of shit!"Bartolomeo jeered back, dodging and swinging his sword with his words. "Ezio! Come on, we need to stop that _porca puttana! Granno bastardo! (_son of a bitch! Fat bastard)" Both Ezio and Bartolomeo attacked Dante, gaining an advantage over the Templar man. I felt useless as I stood aside, not able to do anything really but just like that, Silvio's voice rang out over the plaza once more.

"That's enough!" He called down to Dante. "We've no time for this! Return to me now! We must depart!"

Just like that, all of the mercenaries and Dante ran towards the way Silvio had disappeared and Bartolomeo turned to Ezio quickly. "Go now, Ezio! No doubt that brute will lead you right to his leader! My men and I will stay here and make sure the guards will not follow you!"

"_Grazie_, my friend," Ezio said, nodding briefly, then he took off after Dante, leaving me behind in the dust. I knew I would do Bartolomeo no good—the only thing that I could possibly do with the guards' drawn swords was get in my allies' way. So instead, I followed after Ezio once more, giving Bartolomeo a soft touch to his arm as I passed him, both of us giving each other a look of 'good luck'.

Even if I became lost at a few moments, I surprised myself when I found Ezio's robes fluttering in the wind that blew from the docks. I followed along their edge, running after Ezio as fast as I could, being reminded once again that I wasn't a runner.

"Hurry!" I heard Silvio call out to Dante, far ahead where I couldn't see them. "They're going to leave without us!"

I felt the need to have to call out for Ezio to wait for me but I figured if I did that I was hindering him as well and I kept my distance. We circled around the docks following Silvio and Dante, Ezio plowing through the guards without even trying to fight them, leaving me a few to take by surprise and knock them over in pain with simple pinches. The least I could do to help now was to get the guards out of the way.

In the docks, there was a boat that was ready to be boarded and when I ran up next to it, huffing and panting, I saw Ezio up on the deck fighting Dante, Silvio slumped against the edge of the boat with a bloodied hand pressed into his side. I ran up the boarding plank, intent on helping Ezio win this battle if he needed my help (even though I knew he would win from the Carnival incident). As soon as I took a step on the boat, Ezio knocked away Dante's swinging sword, then extracted both of his hidden blades and stabbed the brute several times in the chest, drawing blood so quickly and fluently that I had to look away and shudder.

As Dante fell to the deck, Ezio reached over and took a hold of Silvio and threw the man down on the deck next to Dante. As both of the dying men stared up at Ezio, I walked up next to the assassin, staring down at the bloody mess. "What's happened here?" Ezio asked, staring at the two of them, gasping for breath. "Why the boats? I thought you sought the Doge's seat?"

Silvio coughed, blood splattering from his lips. "It...it was only a distraction. We... we were meant to sail..."

Ezio's eyes narrowed, not even acknowledging that I was there. "Sail where?"

Silvio smiled, his brows furrowing. "I will never tell," he whispered, then he looked at me, letting me witness his eyes dull before his head fell backwards, dead.

"Cyprus is their destination," Dante gasped out, staring up at Ezio with wide eyes. "They wanted... they... they want..." Dante faded off, his eyes also dazing and he head rolling backwards, both of their gazes now staring off into eternity.

Ezio took a moment of silence before he whispered "Fear not the darkness, but welcome it's embrace. _Requiescat in Pace._"

Ezio knelt down and closed both of their eyes and I was surprised to see him stay stooped over them for a moment, his eyes somehow distant as if he was lost in thought. Finally, I felt myself move and I reached over and took a hold of Ezio's shoulder. "Ezio?" I whispered. The smell of the salty sea swept up on the deck for a moment and I smelt the promise of rain upon the breeze.

Ezio looked up to me slowly, staring at me before he stood up. He didn't say a word but he took a hold of my hand and led me down off of the boat, back to the docks. As we stood there for a moment, Bartolomeo popped up out of nowhere, grinning broadly and clearly excited.

"Well done, Ezio!" The man cheered, taking a hold of Ezio's shoulders and shaking him softly. "Silvio has been defeated, and finally the Military district has returned to us once more!" The men around us all cheered loudly, the sound of celebration clear in their voices. "Maybe _Venezia_ will finally be able to enjoy some peace and quiet!" Bartolomeo laughed loudly. "We should celebrate this victory!" The men cheered again, their wants being complied to and I couldn't help but smile.

"I am happy for you and your men, Bartolomeo," Ezio said calmly, "but I'm afraid that I cannot join." I looked up at Ezio strangely, wondering what had gotten into him all of a sudden. He seemed so serious, not at all enjoying his victory. "I fear my work has taken a rather strange turn."

"What do you mean?" Bartolomeo looked just as disappointed as I felt.

"Silvio said that this Doge business was simply a distraction. He was about to leave Venezia, in fact."

"Why would they need to do this?" Bartolomeo wondered.

"That is what I need to find out," Ezio said, nodding to his new companion. "I thank you for your help, Bartolomeo, and may your district be changed back to its former glory."

"What will you do now?" Bartolomeo asked, folding his arms.

"I must return back to Monteriggioni and speak with my uncle. From there, I will decide what course of action I will take." The two men exchanged a nod, a handshake and then Ezio turned away, giving me a quick look that said we were leaving. Seeing that he was stressed out, I thanked Bartolomeo and gave him a quick hug before I followed after Ezio.

We were a few feet away before I reached him, taking a hold of his hand and pulling him to a stop. "Ezio," I whispered, looking up into his hood. "Why are you so stressed out about this?"

"Narina," he started slowly, looking down at me, "I don't know what our enemies are planning. Why Cyprus? Why all the distractions? What are our enemies planning?"

"Look." I reached up and took a hold of his stubbly jaw. "We don't have to figure it out right at this second. The world isn't going to end in one night, Ezio." I paused. "Besides, Cyprus is all the way across the Adriatic Sea. We have time to figure out what's going on."

Ezio seemed to relax a little bit but his eyes were still guarded. " What about your Tamair? Doesn't he live near Cyprus?"

I nodded slowly, a little unsure but it seemed that Cyprus was close to Jerusalem. "We could check the documents he sent with me and see if the place is mentioned anywhere in the texts."

"Alright. Then we head back to Monteriggioni."

* * *

We were on the boat back to Forli, in the middle of the night, both of us wide awake in our cabin. The rock of the boat had kept me from sleeping as I curled up on my cot, staring at the high ceiling. Ezio was in his own cot, cleaning his blades and obviously lost in thought.

"Narina."

I rolled over and looked at him and he was staring at me intently, his swords put aside, his legs over the edge of the bed as he sat up and his hand reached out towards me. "Come here."

Slowly, I stood up and walked over to him, taking a hold of his hand before he pulled me in between his legs, his arms wrapping around my waist and his lips pressing against my sternum.

I pressed my lips to his forehead, running my fingers through his hair and pulling out the ribbon that held it back. "I'm scared too," I whispered before I let him pull me on top of him, falling back onto the bedspread, both of us knowing that things were going to change whether we wanted it to or not.

* * *

**Well, this chapter took a long time, and I must apologize for that. Since it's the end of the school year, I have a lot of tests and finals to take care of. Not to mention, I had to take the ACT (which I got a 26 on) so I've been really busy. Like I said before, at the beginning of writing this chapter, my dog that I had had for nine years died, so I had to go through that as well. I hope during the summer that I will get a job, but that'll mean slow updates too. But the bright-side ( I guess) is that the story is ending very soon.**

**As for the basis of this chapter, I must say that I really didn't have that much fun with this chapter, although I do love Bartolomeo. He makes me smile.  
But even then, this chapter and I were not very good friends, so understand if it sucks a wee bit.**

**Things are all going to go so fast now. It's sort of sad. :(**

**Please review and such! :3**

**Thanks to HanashiNoSensu for being my bestest most awesomest beta ever. ^^  
**


	37. Rainy Days

**-Well, summer vacation is here, my friends. Let's make the best of this summer, shall we. ^^  
-This chapter is an important filler chapter...sort of. It'll be more important in another sense. :3**

**Thanks for the reviews!:  
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* * *

_Rain, rain, go away.  
Come again another day.  
All the world is waiting for the sun._

_To lie here under you,  
is all that I could ever do._

– "_Rain"_ by Breaking Benjamin

* * *

**Chapter 36: Rainy Days**

I never liked the rain.

Something about the way it fell noisily, creating lakes out of little rivers made me upset, like it's over exaggerating powers reminded me of something I wished not to think about. And wasn't there something about how it meant change? Rain symbolizes change? Well, I didn't like change. Not anymore.

As soon as Ezio and I returned back to Monteriggioni, he had been so busy that I hardly saw him. Both him and Mario were running around trying to figure out what was going on. Trips across northern Italy become quite common. The only time I seemed to be a part of the hustle was when Ezio would come and look over Tamair's documents with me to check if they spoke of Cyprus's importance. Which they didn't, by the way. I felt like I had read something about it though but perhaps that was in a document that had been left over in Palestine. In any case, this was no help at all.

Leonardo sent us a letter from Venice that he was leaving to Roma. He wouldn't be home for years, it read, and that he was terribly sorry for the inconvenience.

I felt like I was losing a hold of my life for a moment. And those damn rainy days never made it any better.

It was probably around two months after Ezio and I helped Bartolomeo when I broke my leg. I had been riding Guido around Monteriggioni when the horse slipped on a curve of a hill and fell over, sending me flying from my perch and hitting my leg against a boulder. The bone cracked audibly in my shin, making me cry out in absolute pain. I laid there, Guido nuzzling me for three hours until someone came and found me. During those three hours it became cloudy and started to rain. Breaking my leg, however, reminded Ezio that reality was still there. He dropped his frantic search for a bit to make sure that my leg was set right and that I was well taken care of.

Not too long after I started to hobble around with the help of a crutch though, Ezio went back to his search, disappearing for entire days and up all night at his desk, the candle light keeping me awake in his bed. Soon, I ended up just moving back down to my room since it was easier with my wounded leg, and also so that I could at least get some sleep.

Claudia had found herself fancied with a young man who lived over in another part of Tuscany. Because of this, she was gone from the Villa often, which left me and Maria to alternate the "book" job. The town had grown very nice by then. There was hardly any renovations to be done so most of the money went to the mercenaries to take home for their families. Some were so young that they didn't have families to tend to so they blew all of their money at the brothel, which only gave the money back to us at the big house. It was like a vicious circle.

About three months after my broken bone was starting to feel better, I offered to go to Florence with Ezio seeing how we hadn't spent all that much time together in the past five months. He agreed to let me go but after I had gotten all my things gathered together and had gotten down to the stables on my still sore leg, Ezio had left me behind. I was so angry that I considered taking Guido and following after him but I soon decided against that and just stomped back up to the Villa. Of course, when he came home around two weeks later, I was so upset with him that we got into a big argument and eventually ended it with sore feelings and pouting lips. I tried to punish him and didn't talk to him for a few days but then I realized that didn't do anything—we didn't talk that much as it was.

* * *

It was the end of summer, the hot days growing colder and the trees growing louder with their crinkled leaves. The hot days of the summer had caused the air to become humid and autumn rains occurred a lot more often than I ever remembered them. I would spend my days sitting on the front room's couches, staring out the windows at the gloomy rain, the book in my hand a simple prop there just for looks, for I hardly ever read it. I soon no longer cared about my looks, wearing the same clothes day after day, my sleeping clothes became my day clothes as well, and since it was the hot summer, it happened to be cropped pants that went to my thighs and a big, baggy shirt that used to be Ezio's. When I would catch myself staring out at the rain, I would find myself feeling sad and upset, feeling almost regretful like I had done wrong.

One of those rainy days, I was interrupted in my adopted routine when Mario came and sat down next to me, making me turn to look at him.

"What are you reading?" He asked, smiling at me.

"Uh." I read the cover of the book out-loud.

"What's it about?"

I paused, letting my fingers run nonchalantly across the cover before I turned and looked by out the window. "I honestly do not know."

Chuckling, Mario leaned back on the couch, heaving a big sigh. "So you're not busy, then?"

"Not really." My eyes locked upon one droplet that seemed glued to the glass. "Is there something that needs done?"

"Not necessarily," Mario allowed, "but since Ezio has been busy with this Cyprus business, I need some help taking care of preparing for winter."

I frowned, looking back up to Mario. "If you want it done good, you should make Ezio stop worrying so damned much. Why is it suddenly such a big deal that we don't know what our enemies our planning? We haven't known for ten years and yet we're still fine!" Frowning deeper, I opened the book and snuggled down in the cushions, the subject making me a bit more upset than the rain did.

Mario didn't let me get away that easily. He reached over and took a hold of the book, taking it out of my hand. "Then do this for me, not for Ezio."

Finally beaten, I agreed. Mario let me change into my more 'boyish' clothes before he lead me outside into the steady drizzle of rain. We stopped by the training ring to talk to the trainer there, Mario saying that he would be around town if there was a problem. We watched the two mercenaries fighting in the ring, both of them newbies and training hard so that they could be a part of this big movement. It always confused me to see them so eager to put their lives on the line but I guess that was the point—it was something that they could die for honorably.

* * *

The day started out with patching up roofs that had been damaged over the years, keeping the rain out of the citizens' homes. But in order for those roofs to be patched up, both Mario and I had to be soaked to the bone by the rain. A few of the Mercenaries came to help seeing that it was one hell of a day to be working outside. Ezio never did show up and I found myself looking up through the slashing rain to the top of the Villa to glare at that small little square above the rest of the house. It wasn't fair that he got to stay inside, warm and dry, while I had to be out here, working my tail off and getting so wet that I might as well have been sitting in a freezing tub of water.

I had forgotten to tie my hair back, so the thick slabs of wet hair kept getting in my face and I became so frustrated that I seriously considered just chopping all of it off. I was surprised with how many houses had damaged roofs—you think that we had been throwing canon balls at the town. Of course, all of the people were grateful for our deeds to fix their homes; they had been worried about all the rain this year and didn't want their homes to be ruined.

It was the last roof of the town, the day delving into the evening, when we heard it. It almost sounded like thunder or even a small earthquake. Both Mario and I looked up immediately, catching each others gaze and immediately we both knew something was wrong. Just at that moment, one of Mario's men came running down the street, shouting up to us on the roof.

"Mario! Mario!" He was yelling. "A large group of men are headed towards the city! They look to attack, sir."

Mario fell into his battle mode immediately. "One of you men, go get Ezio quickly. Narina, you come with me." As we both jumped down off of the roof, landing in large puddles forming in the streets, Mario ordered the city gates be shut and both of us ran towards the front of the city. I didn't have any weapons on me and I noticed neither did Mario. Hopefully it would be a peaceful encounter...

We climbed up onto the surrounding wall of the city as the gates were closing shut. Upon the high wall, both Mario and I glanced down at the path that led out of Monteriggioni and saw a rather large group of men riding on horseback, tugging behind them large contraptions that I knew meant us no good. There was probably around two dozen of them, all of them burly and not very friendly-looking.

"This might be trouble," Mario whispered and at that moment a man ran up and handed both Mario and I a sword. I stared at the blade blankly, noting that I was to give it to the next unarmed ally that I saw—I sure as hell didn't need it.

I watched with guarded eyes as the men on the horses approached the gate, staring up at us with deep frowns and angry glares, their eyes unblinking even in the pouring rain. Mario leaned a bit more over the edge.

"Welcome to Monteriggioni," he greeted in a civil manner. "What can I help you with, gentlemen?" I had learned over the years that Mario was very good with his words and I only wished that I could be just as charismatic.

"We want blood!" One of them screamed, obviously the leader of the group. "No one kills a brother of ours and gets away with it!"

Just then, one of the men in the group pulled out a bow and arrow, slinging back an arrow and shooting at us. I dodged the point by the skin of my teeth and dropped down behind the stone wall, shaking slightly. Mario was down next to me, his gaze set hard upon me.

"What are they talking about?" He asked me, the whistle of the Mercenaries' arrows now flying through the air.

"They're probably in league with Silvio!" I explained, feeling the fear grip my stomach. "The Templars must have hired them!"

"God damn it," Mario breathed. "At least we were able to shut the gates before—."

He was cut off when I loud explosion sounded the air, the stone under us vibrating so violently that I was knocked off balance and toppled over. The sword that had been given to me fell out of my hands, skidding down over the edge of the wall and into the city. I lifted my head up and rolled over to stare up at Mario.

"Guns?" I asked, astonished.

Mario was already up and looking over the edge of the wall. "No," he breathed, eyes wide. "They have cannons."

_Shit_. Before I could really comprehend what was happening, Mario was screaming out orders to his men, telling them to ready for the gate to break. The city had to be protected by all costs. In another moment, I was being lifted up, being put on my own two feet by a tall, hooded man who looked me over worriedly.

"Are you hurt?" Ezio asked, his body movements making his armor sound noisily off of each other.

"No, the shock of the hit knocked me over," I explained.

Ezio looked up where Mario had been standing and right then another bang sounded. Ezio and I clung together to steady ourselves as the stone beneath us shook fiercely. Already I could hear the metal of the gate below us squeaking loudly as it crumpled under the power of the cannon balls. As the tremors fells away, Ezio held me away from him, away from his heat and back into the cold drizzle of the rain. "I would tell you to go to the villa to be safe but I know you won't listen to me," he breathed, "so I'm going to ask you to help all of the towns people reach safety. Protect yourself and I will try to not let them get close to the villa."

Not even able to smile at his considerate thought, I nodded, reaching up and pushing away the heavy clumps of hair in my eyes. Then he kissed me quickly before he followed the path Mario had gone and dropped back down to the streets below.

The sense of duty came about me and I too dropped down below and began to herd the scared citizens in the streets, telling them to all head towards the villa and to take refuge there. Because of the rain and the slick rocks beneath my feet, I slipped around a lot and had troubles getting the children, elderly and sick up towards the house. I managed to get the first group there, all of them taking refuge inside while I went back down to scour the streets that I hadn't managed to go down before. Only this time, the ruffians had managed to breach through the gate and they were now in the streets, pushing back Mario's men.

* * *

Although, I tried to avoid the battles at all costs, I still had to bear through a few to get people through the streets. I didn't knock out the enemies for the count, it was at least enough of a pressure point press that we could get by without having anyone get hurt.

Everyone in the villa was panicking. All the children were crying, the mothers speaking in hushed whispers and all of the men pacing around anxiously; some of them wanting to go outside and help somehow. The floors of the home were covered in a thin layer of water, everyone tracking it in by their clothes and hair.

Maria found me in the midst of it all as I was helping a mother wrap her daughter's swollen ankle that had been injured as we ran for safety. I looked up to the motherly figure and forced a smile. "_Salute_," I whispered, tying the bandage and standing up to talk to Maria.

She nodded in acknowledgment. "How safe will they all be here?" She wondered, already having heard about the attack.

"I'm not sure," I admitted, taking a hold of Maria's arm and leading her away from the people, not wanting them to overhear and panic. "The enemies are in the town streets but there is a large force of mercenaries surrounding the villa. The city might take a toll but I think the villa will be safe for a while." As I told Maria this softly, I heard a young girl behind me cry out that she had left her straw doll back at their house and I felt at a loss for her.

"Then they will all stay here?" Maria looked around in exasperation. "There is hardly enough room for all of them."

"Let's hope the battle will be over before nightfall," I whispered. "Then we can just send them all home." I looked around at all of the families hugging each other tightly, their eyes wide and staring out the high windows at the rain that pelted against the glass, shivering in their embraces. "As for now," I continued, "let's just make sure none of them die here. We have extra blankets to pass around, right?"

Maria nodded. "You're right. They need to get dry."

As Maria went to find extra blankets, I went the the hearth to the right side of the room, weaving through all of the citizens before I knelt down and stoked a fire to life, allowing the comforting crackle of the flames to calm the room. With blankets soon passed around, everyone becoming gradually more and more confident in this idea. Maria walked up next to me and asked me to the other room for a moment. We managed to wander into Mario's office and there she turned to me with a weird look in her eyes.

"Claudia went to fight," she simply said. Sighing and groaning in one breath, I reached up and rubbed my forehead. "It's not that she isn't a good fighter but I do worry about my little girl. Mario and his men can take care of this." She sighed, rubbing her forehead too. "Ezio is much to busy defending the city. I'll take care of the citizens; can you go find Claudia for me, please?"

"To be honest, Maria," I admitted, "I might not be able to get her to come back with me. Claudia _is_ a part of your family, remember. She's stubborn."

Smiling softly, Maria nodded. "Just like her father. Do what you can, Narina."

I had a feeling that Maria had an idea of what I was dealing with, so I nodded and left out of the back of the Villa, rounding about to find the now-youngest Auditore.

* * *

I decided to take to the rooftops considering that the brutes didn't seem like the types to take to high grounds. Ezio would have already taken care of the archers upon the roofs considering that they would cause the most grief. At my vantage point, I could see the broken gate at the front of the town and I could hear the yells and screams throughout the city. The rain blurred things together but that didn't stop a fire from breaking out. Somehow, the brutes were able to set fire to the east side of the town and the brothel in the middle of it. Even though the drops of heaven seemed to keep the flames from roaring high, the destruction still spread and I could almost see all of the money we had spent on the town lift away in the black smoke.

I shifted my gaze to the streets below, trying to find the dark haired girl. I hopped across the roofs, somehow finding my balance on the slippery tiles. Thunder rolled over me and upon glancing up, I saw another flash of lightening streak across the sky, followed by yet another roll of thunder. I growled out loud, annoyed by the increasing wind and the impending storm. _And_ how I was stuck out in it.

Above the city, I was getting nowhere, the rain hindering my sight greatly by continuing to drip in my eyes. The only thing I was even able to make out down in the streets were a bunch of men swinging blades at each other but there was no Claudia. Just when I was about to finally go on foot, soaked to the bone, freezing cold and clearly irritable, I walked along the roof and heard a quick snap of thunder. Or what that even thunder? My head snapped around but I wasn't quick enough to think about what I saw. The other side of the roof I was standing on exploded, a cannon ball delving down into the house. The broken tiles and wood splintered at me, making me scream and take a step back in the shock of the hit. The rain finally took it's moment and I slipped banging my head against the roof as I fell, immediately, blacking out.

* * *

I don't know exactly how long it took me to come to again but when I did, it was to an ungodly pain in my left leg. Crying out, blinking harshly for the rain still fell in my eyes, my head pounded in protest and I could feel a large goose egg forming on the back of my skull. When I managed to wipe my eyes, I looked down to my left leg, fearing that I'd see it broken again but everything looked to be fine. It still screamed out in pain, though. I leaned forward to press my fingers to my skin to figure out where it hurt.

"Narina!" I looked up to see Ezio running up to me, his robes splotched with blood and his sword sounding off as it was placed back into his sheath. I had to blink a few times and shake my head to focus on him as he knelt down next to me, helping me sit up straighter. "Are you alright?"

"Yes...no?" I rubbed my head. "I don't know." A pause. "Did you just see that?"

"See what?"

"Me fall?"

"No." I breathed out in relief, glad that he hadn't seen me make such a stupid mistake. "Some of Mario's men found you laying on the ground and they ran to tell me." He looked up through the sleeting rain to the rooftops, lightening flashing threateningly at his glance. "You fell from the roofs? Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

"My leg hurts," I commented, trying to bend the leg and actually surprised when it complied. "But I don't think it's anything serious."

Ezio helped me up, putting an arm around my waist and making me lean into him. "What were you doing on the rooftops? I told you to help the townspeople." He sounded irritated.

"Your mother sent me to look for Claudia. She's fighting out here," I said in defense.

"Don't worry about that—I sent her back not too long ago. She's fine." Good. "As for now, I'm taking you back to the Villa—it's too dangerous out here. They know they've already lost so they're shooting cannon balls into the city to cause as much damage as they can."

"Oh?"

"Their leader is dead." I took the smidgen of pride in his tone that Ezio was the one who put the end to that.

We weren't even halfway back to the Villa when we walked into a small opening, Mario fighting one of our enemies who was swinging a large ax dangerously at him. All of Mario's men who had been fighting beside him laid dead in pools of watered-down blood. The sight through all of the rain made me shudder, the feeling like I was trying to remember something riddling my body. Ezio suddenly let me go, almost dropping me on my face as I caught myself on my sore leg. When I looked up, I saw Ezio blocking the swing of an ax in a deadlock, standing over a knocked over Mario who was bleeding from his side. Winning the battle, Ezio pushed the brute back and allowed a little room for Mario, who was still sensible enough to crawl away, to lean back against a building and turn his worn face up to the rain.

As quickly as I could, I hobbled over to him and fell down next to him, telling him briefly that he was going to be okay before I pulled out some of the medicine pouches he had at his waist. I tried to apply some of the alcohol onto his wound but before I could do anything else, Mario told me he was fine. Over his labored breaths, I heard the sound of metal flinging across stone, scraping loudly, and when I turned to look around, I saw Ezio's sword skid to a halt right in front of me.

It happened so fast. I was staring at the sword, knowing that Ezio didn't have it for his defense, and then I looked up. Almost as if in slow motion, I saw the brute of a man raise his ax up in the air, glistening in the rain, and though I knew Ezio had other weapons, other ways to defend himself, that he was a skilled and well trained assassin, something about the rain and the darkened skies caused me to panic. I reached forward, took a hold of the handle of Ezio's sword and lunged forth with eyes clamped shut, feeling the resistance against the sharp blade as I swung it horizontally. Warm splats of liquid dribbled all over my hands and arms, a big contrast from the cold rain drops.

And then I knew that I had killed the brute.

I had killed someone.

I felt the sword fall from my hands but I didn't hear it clatter to the ground. Instead, my left leg gave out under me and I found myself staring at a large pool—no, a sea of blood before me, my body shaking as I watched the rain drops cause ripples to shiver through the surface. My eyes couldn't focus on anything, I felt like I was rocking back and forth, I couldn't seem to get a grip on what had happened.

When I was finally able to see something, I saw bloody hands before me, spread out wide as the rain pelted and washed it away in a stream of red. When I focused more on where I was sitting there were bloodied bodies all around me, staring at me accusingly.

Why were my hands so bloody? Why were there so many dead? I didn't do it! I didn't mean to!

Slowly, ever so slowly, I looked up above the carpet of death, up towards the sky that poured so cryptically down on me. Above and before me was a man in a black robe, his dark hair stuck to his forehead from the rain, his brown eyes rolled back in his head as a noose swung him from his neck in the slices of rain.

And then I screamed, so loud I felt as though my lungs were going to lodge themselves in my throat, my tears falling down my face along with the rain. I covered my eyes with my bloodied hands, trying to rub away the image, trying to rid it before it could hurt me.

Arms were suddenly around me, pulling me tightly against warmth, fingers tangling within my soaked hair. I could feel the breaths on my ear but my screams seemed to drown out all of the voices.

"Narina!"

The screams finally stuffed themselves in my throat, making me catch a sudden hold on reality and I took my hands away, gazing up into golden eyes. It was strange, but it took me a moment to realize that they were Ezio's eyes. Then I looked at my hands, which were no longer covered in blood. Only three dead men were in the small enclosed area and only the fog hung in the air. "Narina, it's going to be okay."

When I looked at Ezio, I saw some conflicting emotions fighting in his eyes, like he wasn't sure what to think. And then I whispered, " I just killed someone..." This wasn't how it was supposed to be. I wasn't supposed to kill people. I wasn't an assassin. I couldn't be an assassin.

"Narina, listen to me." My face was taken hold of and I was made to look back at Ezio's gaze. "You did it to save me. Don't give me that look—you know you had to do it."

He was right—I did know that I had to do it. But I still found myself shaking my head. "I'm not supposed to kill," I whispered. "I'm not supposed to take lives away."

"And who said that?" Ezio wondered, trying desperately to get me to understand.

"I promised myself," I whispered, locking onto a rain drop that was falling slowly down Ezio's broad jaw. "It didn't solve anything...it didn't bring back..." My breath stopped as if I was silencing myself from letting out what I was remembering, although I couldn't recall it anymore. "I'm sorry," I whispered, leaning forward and pressing my face into Ezio's chest. "I'm so sorry."

He hushed me softly and pet my wet hair, humming sweet assurances in my ear. I felt that there was no way he could comprehend how terrifying it had been to see that sea of death before me, to see that proof of stupidity hanging before my eyes. And when I thought about it, I began to wonder just who that man that had been swinging before me was.

* * *

When I was finally able to stand up again, still shaken from my murder, Ezio had me help tow Mario up to the villa, the older man gasping for air. Upon our arrival, Ezio announced that he was going to go end this battle and left immediately. After that Maria began to tend to Mario, having the town doctor in the house help her tend the wound. I, on the other hand, sat against the wall next to an older woman sitting with her grandchild, brushing her hair with her fingers. I watched the small girl blankly, thinking about how precious that girl was to that grandmother, how devastated that grandmother would be if the girl were to die. How more than one life would be ended even if one died.

If so, then how many lives had I ended with just the one I had killed.? How many people did I affect by killing that man?

Something inside of me rebelled against this idea so harshly, the thought of taking a life, that I felt sick to my stomach. I felt like I should have been giving life, not taking it away. It was like my duty to make sure people...lived. Swiftly, I flung myself from my position and ran to the front door, leaning against the door frame as I retched outside, feeling disgusted with myself, with life and death...and with the god-damn rain

As I finished puking, I simply let the cool draft from the weather brush against my flushed cheeks, blowing away the nasty smell of my bile. Then I was being led back inside by Maria's hand, leading me through the people all sitting on the floor, waiting for their homes to be returned; leading me up the stairs, down the hall, through the small door way and up the incline to Ezio's room. As she helped me lay back on Ezio's bed after lighting a candle in the room, she brushed the hair out of my face, smiled at me softly, leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

"Rest," she whispered, pressing her hand to my cheek. "I'll send Ezio up as soon as he gets home. Thank you for your help, Narina."

Help. Help? How in the hell did I help? If anything, I made things worse!

His mother tucked me into bed, pulling the blankets up over me before she went back down through the hatch, leaving me to think about what I had done. Eventually, I rolled to my side, kicked off the covers, curled up in a ball and started to cry again. The pounding of the rain kept me from sleeping, I felt as though I was trapped, surrounded by all the windows that let me see the godforsaken element. It made me so frustrated, so helpless that I cried even more. Though there was flashes of lightening and rolls of thunder, there were no more cannon shots and that made me feel slightly better.

* * *

The candle burned out before Ezio came clamoring up the ladder, kicked off his shoes and sighed deeply. I knew that the battle was finally over. A moment passed with me just staring out the window to the side of the bed, my eyes swollen and nose stuffed as he undressed himself down to just his trousers. Then the bed dented and I felt his warmth surround me and my still damp, cold form.

"Narina."

I sniffed loudly, failing since snot plugged my nose, then I sighed, the noise all shaky and unsteady. He hugged me to him, kissing my hair. It was then that I began to both admire and fear Ezio for the fact that he was an assassin. How he could kill so easily and go on without a thought or regret...he must have been so strong for that and yet so messed up in the head.

Then it hit me. Ezio _did_ go through what I just went through. Every time he killed someone, he went through the turmoil, the ungodly feeling of knowing that he just ended someone's precious life. That he just took someone's precious little kid away, someone's precious little grandchild away.

Without a single thought more, I rolled around in Ezio's hold and hugged him back, bawling into his chest, both of us now sharing a pain that I had never been able to comprehend before. The man I loved had gone through so much more shit than I had ever thought he had. He was so much more stronger than I had ever imagined.

As the rain turned into a light drizzle, my sobs turned into light breaths, Ezio's comforting words and murmurs turned into kisses.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to him, looking up at him in his hug, my voice sounding funny from my emotional tirade. "If I would have ever known what it was like, I would have..."

He tucked my head under his and hummed lightly. "It's alright. If I could have had it any other way, I wouldn't have wanted you to know what it was like."

I couldn't think of anything to reply with, so I simply snuggled into his strong chest, hugging him tighter. With Ezio's heartbeat thrumming out the steady beats of the rain light on the window, I was finally able to go to sleep. However, the only thing that I was able to dream of that night was seas of rain and blood, and the hazel, dazed eyes staring at from the dark-robed man hanging above the sea of death.

* * *

**This chapter was completely a filler chapter for the two year skip in the game. Even if it was a filler chapter, it does have a very important point in it:**

**Narina _can_ kill.  
There's just a very good reason that she is so against it, but that's revealed later on down the road.**

**This chapter is also a door-opener to a story that I will write after this story, so I wanted to stick all of this in one. I know it's short—that's the basis of a filler chapter!**

**In the long run, it's summer vacation. Again. Did any of you catch that it was my stories birthday a few weeks ago? :3 I partied for it! :D Anyway, I hope to finish this story this summer so that I can work on other stuff throughout my Senior year. Depressing that I'm almost out of high school. I hardly want to grow up. :C**

**Thanks! And please review! :D I love reading them and replying! :3**

**(And on a side note, I actually _love_ the rain. :3)**

**Thanks to HanashiNoSensu for betaing!  
**


	38. A Dozen Years

**-I'm going to try to go through these chapters real quick like, and since I have the time, I probably will.**

**-Okay, that first statement was a lie. My friends keep dragging me out of the house and then I got all wrapped up in playing Dragon Age Origins. I've been really lazy with this story lately, and I should apologize for that. So I'm sorry.**

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews!:  
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* * *

**Chapter 37: A Dozen Years**

When I rolled over in the bed, intent on finding myself laying upon Ezio, I was shocked to find myself still on the bed. Groaning, I pushed myself up and rubbed my eyes, wondering where my morning buddy was at. I didn't hear him get out of bed, which was weird because I usually did. After a minute of staring blankly at the empty pillow, I managed to climb out of bed and down the ladder to get downstairs. As I walked through the halls, I figured that Ezio would be down in the kitchen getting breakfast, so I headed to the ground level of the house. When I got to the top of the stairs, however, I was surprised to see all of the house staff running about the house in a flurry.

What was going on?

I descended the stairs, trying to get the attention of one of the bustling people, but none of them would pay me any mind. Giving up, I decided to look for the family. Dodging all of the people I managed to get to the hall that led to the dining room; in that hall was Maria, talking to people and pointing them in different directions.

"Maria!" I said, walking up to her.

She turned, saw it was me and smiled. "Good morning, Narina."

"What's going on?" I wondered, looking at all the working people.

"Oh?" Maria gave me a weird look. "You didn't remember? That's strange."

"Remember?" Now I was even more confused. "Remember what?

The mother smiled in light surprise. "Narina, how could you forget that it's Ezio's birthday today?"

The ball dropped in my stomach and the heel of my hand smacked against my forehead. "_Merda!_ It is!" I gasped again, feeling like a complete and utter jackass since I had forgotten. "I forgot to make him breakfast this morning! _God_!" Every year for Ezio's birthday, I always gave him breakfast in bed to start off his day of relaxation but now...well, I had forgotten.

Maria laughed under her breath and put an arm around my shoulders. "He went out earlier today to take a horse ride around the town—I think he forgot it was his birthday too. Perhaps you could still surprise him."

"Maria, you're a life-saver!" I hugged her and rushed back upstairs to get dressed. Since it was summer, I dressed as lightly as possible. Liking the idea of riding horses more and more, I rushed outside quickly and jumped across the town on the rooftops. Even if I had forgotten, I was still very excited about Ezio's birthday—even in the most busy times of the year, Ezio's birthday was a day that we all would kick back and relax.

In record time, I saddled up Guido and swung myself up on him. Knowing that Ezio was probably near the entrance of the town again, I went the opposite direction that we normally went down for the start of a ride. Just as I suspected, when I rounded around the town wall, I saw him down the path only a moment away. Nickering under my breath to Guido, we broke out into a fast trot and made our way to Ezio, who had donned his casual clothes, although he still had his sword strapped to his hip. I guess he was still on edge about the threat of thugs, which had been at an all time high the past two years. I didn't blame him—especially since my last encounter. I wasn't able to help with the attacks since I would go into a state of shock when I remembered about the brute that I had killed.

He smiled at me when we got closer. "Good Morning Narina."

I waited until I was right next to him before I threw myself towards him, nearly falling off my horse, and hooking onto his shoulders in a huge hug. His arms caught me before I could fall down to the ground. I guess in the rush of the surprise and the weight, we both toppled over and crashed down to the dirt path, Ezio landing on top of me in a big crash. I was giggling by the time the dust settled, and by then I could feel Ezio humming in pleasant surprise above me. His weight was shifted so that he wasn't laying completely on top of me, but he was close enough that his breath still brushed into my face.

With a large smile, I pinched Ezio's cheeks. "Happy Birthday!"

Ezio looked a bit confused for a moment. "It's my birthday? But I didn't wake up to hot breakfast."

"Sorry." I managed to squirm out from under him and I sat up, patting down my hair. "I forgot too."

Sitting up too, Ezio pouted at me. "You never forget."

"I guess I've been so side-tracked with this whole Cyprus business that I didn't remember." I shrugged innocently. "Sorry."

As I stood up, dusting myself off, Ezio stared up at me quietly. "Promise me that you'll make it up to me. Later." The smirk on his face told me that he meant for my other annual present.

I frowned. "Fine." A pause. "What do you want me to do?"

Standing up as well, Ezio walked up to me, pulled me close to him, and placed his lips at my ear, softly whispering his wish.

Shocked, I jerked back, pushing away. "Ezio, no! You know how I feel about...about _that_."

Ezio frowned at me. "Please? It's my birthday."

"But...but it's so _revolting_," I muttered, pouting.

"Narina, you know why it's not that gross anymore."

I walked over to Guido and pulled myself up on him. "Let me think about it, okay? It's not something that I would have chosen primarily."

"Which is why I did," Ezio explained, grinning widely again, then he too pulled himself up onto his horse. "It's always fun to try something new."

"Fun for _you_," I muttered, reached forward and patting Guido's neck. "Anyway, I wanted to come and find you to ask what you wanted to do today? Things are pretty busy back at the villa, so we probably shouldn't stay there."

"I don't care." He kicked his horse, prodding it into a slow trot. I followed in suite, Guido matching the pace. "What do you want to do?"

"Hey," I rejected. "It's not my decision—it's _your_ birthday."

"Would you object to a horse ride, then?" He used his arm to gesture out towards an open field. "Out of all the years I've been here in Monteriggioni, I've never gone past the southern trees across the way."

"Sure," I said, nodding. "It's nothing but a big field on the other side, but okay."

Ezio tilted his head at me. "You've been?"

"Yeah. It was a long time ago; probably one of the first years we were here."

"Okay." Ezio pulled on the reigns, pulling his horse to the side of the path and towards the patch of trees. With our heels digging into our horses' sides, we galloped across the field and stopped before we went through the brush of the foliage.

As Ezio looked through the trees to find some sort of path, I watched him quietly, taking note that his jaw and chin were dark with hair and his eyes were worn with the stress of the whole assassin business. "Ezio," I whispered, making him turn towards me.

"What is it?"

I stared at him once more for a moment. "Has it really been twelve years?"

A smile appeared on his face, and he nodded. "_Si_. I'm twenty-nine today."

* * *

Thanks to doing absolutely nothing all day out in the hot, summer sun, by the time Ezio and I managed to get back to Monteriggioni, I was as red as a tomato. It was strange considering that I was used to the sun's rays, but I guess all the exposure got to me. Ezio, on the other hand, just received a nice tan, which made me angry—even more so when he would purposefully "tap" me just to see me squirm in pain. I had no idea how I was going to get through the night.

Maria helped by rubbing cooling salves on me before the big banquet was to start. It was different than a party, but most of the townsfolk did come up to the villa to have a filling dinner masterfully crafted by our most skilled cooks in the city. The whole front hall soon filled with bouquets of flowers and bags of money that stood as presents for the assassin. Although I had no idea _why_ Ezio would want flowers, everyone else in the entire town thought he could use some. I guess they did liven up the room a bit.

After being burnt and completely stuffed (like a turkey or something), all the family sat in Mario's office, talking and reminiscing about all the years that had gone by. Claudia had brought her fancied boy from the southern Tuscany town Batignano. His name was Ofreo, and he was very charming yet somewhat shy, obviously caring, and very cute. However, even if I thought he was the perfect match for Claudia, I would occasionally find Ezio glaring at the boy with his arms folded tight. I guess Ezio has always had to be weary when it came to Claudia, which reminded me of the time when Ezio beat up Duccio for his younger sister. Then I was saddened at the thought when I considered that memory had been _twelve_ years ago.

Finally, Maria announced that she was going to bed, and Mario soon hit the hay as well. I stayed up, talking to Claudia and Ofreo for a moment longer, until Ezio said "I think it's time to go to sleep."

"I'll be up in a bit," I told him, smiling at him softly as an answer to his plea that morning.

Claudia suddenly chuckled, covering her mouth. "Do we need to leave the city in order to not hear the screams?"

Before I could get angry, Ezio lifted a finger and pointed at his sister in a threatening manner. "Claudia. Not on my birthday."

Claudia paused for a moment before she sighed. "Fine." I found myself flushing at the thought that Claudia's worries wouldn't be needed. Ezio gave his sister a kiss on the cheek. Both her and Ofreo gave him another happy birthday, and with that he was up the stairs and into his room.

"So, Claudia," I started, now that Ezio was out of the room, "if you're going to make fun of me for my sexual endeavors..." A grin spread out on my face as I watched her eyes get wide.

"You have nothing to make fun of me with," she said, raising one brow as if that made it true.

"Oh?" My smile grew larger. "Have you forgotten that I sit out on the roof all the time?" I looked over to Ofreo who was giving me a wide-eyed look. "By the way, evening is the best time to woo a girl—but next time, make it to the room before you start the whole thing. The balcony is really not the place to do the do." Now that their cheeks were bright red, I excused myself bidding them goodnight.

I was giggling when I climbed up into Ezio's room. "Ah, payback is amazing." I looked up to the bed, catching sight of Ezio lounged back against the pillows. And he was frowning at me.

"Narina, I said not on my birthday," he said.

Standing up, I gave a soft smile and shrugged. "Sorry. I couldn't resist."

He gave me an exasperated look for a small moment, then he sighed and smiled, sitting up straighter, spreading his legs and patting the spot on the bed between them, telling me to come sit. I wandered over to the bedside and plopped down into his lap, humming in pleasure when his arms wrapped around me, holding me back to him. Nuzzling my ear, he placed soft kisses on my jaw. "Have you had long enough to think?" He whispered, his hot breath running down my neck.

Sighing, I leaned my head back on his shoulder. "I'm still a little hesitant to try this out. I don't know what I'm doing."

"Well, I do, and you know how well I can teach you to do new things."

I sat up and looked at him over my shoulder, still very hesitant.

Ezio reached over to the bedside table and held up a small bottle. "I saved some honey from dinner."

That made me laugh, and I squirmed out of his hold, placing myself in front of him. "Fine, I'll do it. But don't tease me if I do something wrong."

Smirking in his victory, Ezio licked his forefinger and thumb, reaching over and diminishing the candle on the table. "No promises," he whispered as the wick sputtered out.

* * *

"Jaufree!" I called out, hanging my head of out the stall to stare down at the stable boy. "Jaufree, come here quick!" The young man came jogging over, inclining his head to look into the stall. "Something is wrong with Guido," I whispered. The horse was favoring his front left leg, his eyes wide.

Jaufree (the man who had been the "stable boy" for as long as I could remember) reached out towards Guido, clicking his tongue. Guido snapped at the outstretched hand, and Jaufree recoiled back, humming under his throat. "Could you bring him out of the stall for me, then? He's stressing out, he won't let me touch him."

"Sure, I could try." I managed to get back into the stall and pet Guido gingerly, giving him soft pats and prods to get him to walk out of the stall, limping.

"Hm." Jaufree had me hold the horse while he looked at the leg. "Looks like he caught it on something," he mused. "It's not deep, but it's probably best for him to rest."

I frowned. "But Ezio and I are leaving today."

The man shrugged, giving me a half smile. "Sorry. You'll have to ride another."

With a soft curse under my breath, I helped lead Guido back into his stall, holding his big head to mine before I told Jaufree to saddle me up another.

Ezio and I were leaving to go back to Venice. It had been two years since we had been at the floating city, and probably around three weeks since it was his birthday. Ezio finally decided that this side of Italy was giving him no more information than we had before. Tamair's documents gave no answers either, and finally after years of searching where there were no answers, Ezio decided to head back to Venice.

The early morning was crisp and cold, the sun barely peeking over the mountains in the distance. Our breaths could be seen seeping from our lips even though it was still summer.

"We'll stop by Florence to talk to Paola and see if she has anything to say," Ezio told me. "Besides, we haven't seen her in a while."

"Could we visit the graves again, too?" I asked, climbing up onto my horse.

"Sure."

"Do you have any money?"

Ezio's hand went to his money pouch, and he threw me a weird look. "Yes. Why?"

Smiling and shrugging innocently, I said, "I think I want to go shopping when we get there. I need to get a new pair of boots—these ones are ripping at the seams. See?" I held up my foot towards Ezio to show him my boot. Although he was still skeptical, he accepted that one and went back to strapping up his horse.

"No Guido today?"

I frowned. "No. I guess he has a nasty gash on his leg. He's limping."

"Hm." Ezio looked back at me over his shoulder. "Maybe you shouldn't take him through the trees so often."

Letting the words sit, I watched Ezio tighten the final strap on the saddle before he heaved a bag to the side and hooked it on. Then once Ezio swung up into the saddle, we were off down the path, bobbing along. Despite the Guido thing, I was in a good mood and discussed a few things with Ezio along the way, like what we were going to do if we still didn't find anything, what we _were_ going to do if we _did _find something. Although both discussions were a bit splotchy and a little bit unknown, I think Ezio had a pretty good plan to go about everything. As for what we were doing in Florence, that was more of a vacation before we got into the bulk of our movement.

"I've been so busy these past three years that I feel as though I've been neglecting you.," he explained.

Although I felt the same way, I smiled and said, "Ezio, you don't have to worry about me. I can deal with a man who is really busy. It's not a big deal."

He surprised me when he reached out and pinched my nose, smirking. "That's why I keep you around, Narina. You're so understanding most of the time." He paused, letting go of my nose. "And the sex."

Finally, I pouted, and gave him an exasperated look. That was a step too far. "Ezio."

Then he laughed, reached out and poked my arm, grinning at me. "You know I'm kidding."

"Mhm," I mumbled, my good mood suddenly dashed away. Seeing that I was still upset about it, he leaned over on his horse, pulled on my reigns so that the horse tread towards his horse and I was closer to him, and kissed me.

"You know that I was kidding," he whispered, and I knew that he meant it this time, so I forced a smile and whispered a small 'I know.' The problem was that I actually really didn't know. Although I had my assumptions, Ezio had never told me how he felt about me aside from the 'you're my other half' thing. And although that was enough, it still left enough room for questions.

He must have felt bad about ruining my mood because he pulled me close again and let his fingers touch my face. "We'll visit the graves and then I guess we'll go shopping." A smile slowly appeared on my face and I pulled away.

"Don't look so disappointed. It's not like I'm going to spend _all_ your money."

Ezio gave me an exasperated look and sighed. "I sure hope not."

Florence finally came into view around noon, and in an attempt to bring back my peppy mood, Ezio challenged me to a race to the stables, and I gladly accepted. He won, but he cheated, of course. ( I don't know how, but it's fun to call him a cheater anyway.) From the stables, we paid for our horses' stay , and then we walked along side the outer wall, holding hands as Ezio helped me over the rough terrain. When we got to the Arno river, this visit wasn't nearly as sad as the first time we had come here.

I knelt down to the edge and dipped my fingers in the water. "Hey boys," I whispered, trailing my fingers around. "It's been a long while, hasn't it. You can blame Ezio, he never lets me do anything."

"Hey," Ezio said, kneeling down beside me, playfully pushing me. "Don't listen to her. She's over-exaggerating it."

We laughed and told small stories to the river in hopes that they would reach the washed away remains of our family. Ezio made an effort to actually brag to Federico that he was nailing me now. With a hit to his shoulder, I then pointed it out to Petruccio that I was trying my absolute best to keep Ezio out of trouble. And we both finished by going off about the order for Giovanni. I realized that it was a pretty silly concept—I knew by now that both Ezio and I weren't exactly hardcore religious people, and to talk about all this to those that were gone...it seemed all too foolish.

After thirty minutes, we finally locked hands again, and wandered back to the front of the city, intent on heading north of the Duomo. Paola was so happy to see us again, giving us large hugs.

"It has been far too long since you two have been here in _Firenze_!" She said with a smile as she led us to sit down on a couch while she stood in front of us to inspect us. "What brings you here?"

"To take a quick break before we go over to Venice," Ezio explained, leaning back on the couch, putting his arms up on the back in a relaxed position after pulling his hood off. "Narina needs to go shopping for boots." I saw him look at me suspiciously front my peripheral. I pretended not to notice and instead leaned back into the crook under Ezio's arm, smiling innocently at Paola. "And we wanted to visit with you too."

"Well, I am honored for the visit." The woman turned to one of her girls nearby and asked them to get some drinks for us. In the meantime, Ezio's hand moved from the neck of the couch and to my shoulder, his fingertips almost immediately finding the bare skin at my neck and he pushed a small pulse to my skin. I looked up at him, and he smiled down at me.

"You need to cut your hair," I mumbled. "And I'm not talking about your beard. Long hair kind of creeps me out."

Rolling his eyes, Ezio looked up and took the cup of wine that Paola was holding out to him. "If it bothers you so much, why don't you cut it?"

I sat up, taking my cup of wine carefully and staring back at Ezio still. "Would you let me?" I frowned, sipping on my wine. "You don't even trust me with money let alone your oh-so-charming looks."

"If you think it looks good, then I don't really care." He gulped down a drink. "I wear a hood around most of the time anyway."

Paola judged my smirk for a moment before she commented "I have a feeling that you might regret that Ezio."

He shrugged, gulping back the rest of his wine. "It'll grow back."

I gave Ezio my glass of wine, smiling. "He obviously wants to be drunk before I even try."

"Two glasses of wine aren't going to make me drunk." Ezio gulped what was left of mine and set both glasses aside.

Paola was laughing at us lightly, and then she folded her hands together. "What is it that you two came to me for?"

Ezio told her all about the distractions that Silvio had been trying to do over in Venice and that his real intention was to get to Cyprus. He finished by asking her if she had any idea why Cyprus was so important.

"Cyprus was an ancient place for rituals that may or may not have something to do with the pieces of Eden," she explained. "Perhaps there was something there that they desired."

"Something that they didn't want us to know that was there," Ezio muttered.

"We're going back to Venice to see if we can find anything else that may help." I paused. "I guess the piece of Eden that was in the Countess of Forli's possession has been taken, although she was sure it was one that had lost it's power long ago."

"Strange," Paola muttered. "I never thought that the pieces could...go bad."

"I didn't think so either."

"All we can do now, though, is continue looking for answers," Ezio said. "We didn't stay in Venice long enough last time to look for anything helpful."

Paola nodded. "Do you want to stay here for the night, then?"

Ezio looked at me for a second, then slowly shook his head. "No. We need to get to Venice as soon as possible." He sat up and I followed in suite. "In fact, we should probably leave sometime soon. We'll sleep in the mountains tonight."

"If you insist." With that, Ezio stood up from the couch, thanked Paola for the wine, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. I too stood up and gave the woman a hug, bidding her goodbye and thanking her for her hospitality. "You two be careful," she said as we made our way to the front door.

"We always are." I caught Ezio throwing a wink over to the giggling courtesans in the corner and I gave a rough pinch to his arm.

"Let's go get us some boots," I muttered, pulling him out into the Florence streets.

* * *

When we went shopping, Ezio got interested in all of the new armor that Florence had and was glad that we went to the markets after all. I bought my boots and then went over to the tailors to see if I could bargain one of their scissors for a few gold coins. Even if Ezio was kidding about cutting his hair, I wanted it gone. I had never seen him with short hair before, and I wanted to see it.

I sported the new boots for him, but I kept the snips hidden in my vest, wanting to surprise him with it. When he asked if that was all I really wanted, he was surprised when I nodded. "I _told_ you boots were all that I wanted."

Accepting that, Ezio bought the shoulder bracer he had been inspecting and we left the city. Before we mounted our horses, Ezio put on his newly purchased armor and asked me to help him put it on. As I tied up the armor around his shoulder blades, the man running the stables brought our horses over to us. Thanking him for his service, we swung up into the saddles and took off down the road, heading towards the mountains in the distance. We laughed most of the day and joked around, something that we really hadn't been been able to do for years and years. By the time we were halfway through the mountains, the sun had set and we were treading by moonlight for a long while before Ezio pulled his horse to a stop and told me we would be stopping for the night.

As I tied up the horses, he built the fire and unpacked whatever we could get by with for the night. Ezio poked the fire to a small roar and I snuggled beside him, feeling the curve of the scissors press against my side, never moving from where I had initially put them.

"You seem happy," he pointed out, putting aside his poking stick and wrapping an arm around me.

"Really?" I asked. "I didn't notice."

I guess that I couldn't feign ignorance well anymore, because Ezio became suspicious again, moving away to look down at me. "What did you buy other than boots?"

"What makes you think that I bought something else?" I wondered, looking back up into his golden eyes

He didn't seem fooled. "You're being giddy, almost like you're excited for something, and I know it's not about going to Venice."

I had to make a quick alibi. I smiled softly, brushing the hair out of my face and sticking my chest out intentionally. "Well, Ezio, it's been a long time since we had a night where we were all alone." Trying to make myself sound mysterious, I attempted to also make my eyes smolder at him, hoping that this would distract him.

Surprisingly, Ezio just stared at me blankly, raising his brow as if to ask 'what the hell are you doing?'. I wasn't about to give up though; with slow hands, I began to unhook the front of my vest, all the while staring up at Ezio through my eyelashes. "Don't you think that we could have a little...fun?" I could now see that he knew what I was getting at now, but he still didn't move and simply continued to stare at me. I felt the scissors slip down my side more and I knew that it was now or never. Despite Ezio's blank stare and suspicious manner, I moved closer to him and took a hold of his face, taking his mouth with mine. Now seeing that I was actually willing to put out, Ezio shifted us around so that I was sitting in his lap, my legs around his hips, his hands cupped around my rear end.

Actually not wanting to fool around in the middle of the mountains, I figured all I would have to do is get him distracted with something while I hugged him. So I moved my head aside, allowing him room to move his kisses down my neck, and just like that, he did, his more provocative nature taking over as he suckled my skin. Humming in my throat, I let my hand drop down his chest and stomach, moving it to my side to take the scissors. Once I had the metal in my hand, I put both arms around Ezio's neck, hoping that he wouldn't tire of sucking on my neck. Egging him on, I too began to bite his ear lobe, letting my hot breath run down his skin as I fumbled with the scissors behind his back. I guess it was good that I had gotten fabric cutters because once I was able to grip Ezio's ponytail, I realized that he had some thick hair. Moving my mouth to his neck, I focused on my hands, one pulling on Ezio's hair to give me a nice cut where his hair was pulled back, and the other hand aiming the scissors hauntingly. _Let's do this_, I thought, smiling. Then I placed the opened scissors up to Ezio's hair, moving the pieces so that the two cutting blades came together. With a low "shhhhk" noise, Ezio's ponytail fell down his back and plopped on the ground.

Almost immediately, his kissing stopped and he went stiff. Smiling like an idiot, I stayed in the same spot, freezing as well.

Finally, his chest heaved under me. "You just cut my hair, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

We stayed silent for a moment, neither of us moving. For a moment, I thought he was mad, even though he had said that he didn't care, but then he sighed and said, "Well, if you're going to do it, make sure it looks nice." Then he started laughing, pushing me away, his hands on my rib-cage. In the firelight, his smile was radiant, and I loved looking at it, the sight making me smile in return. "You could have just asked me to behave and sit down—you didn't have to seduce me."

Shrugging, I pushed myself up from his lap. "It's fun to seduce you. I need to do it more often."

His eyes widened in wonder as he nodded. "Yes, I believe you do."

A small smile graced my face before I pointed at him with the scissors and gestured him to turn around by waving the tip. "Let's get it all even now."

Not that I was a professional hair-cutter or anything, but I sure as hell had a lot of fun pretending to be. Although I'm sure Ezio was terrified with me having a pair of scissors in my hands near his head, he still didn't say anything and sat obediently. It only took me a moment to get it the way I wanted, and although it may or may not have been even everywhere, I think it looked good. "Let me see it from the front," I said in a rush, twisting around and looking up at him. I was surprised to find that he looked really good, and I decided that I should have done it a long time ago. "Huh, look at that,"I mumbled.

"Am I wonderful?" He asked, raising a brow and smirking.

Laughing, I nodded. "Yes! You should have cut your hair before, silly!" I ran my fingers through the hair, loving the feel of the newly cut hair, and I ruffled my fingers roughly through it, giggling under my breath. "I love it," I mumbled, stroking his hair in a similar fashion that I would a cat.

"And that's all that matters," he replied back, leaning forward and kissing me softly. "Now unless you plan on seducing me more, we probably need to get some sleep." I could almost swear I saw begging in his eyes for his primary suggestion. Laughing, I chose to go to bed and curled up on the blankets he had laid out, and soon after he came and wrapped around me, nuzzling my ear and both of us drifting to sleep.

* * *

"Why are there so many people in Venice?" I asked, looking around at all the people that filled the streets. "_Il Carnivale_ was months ago."

Ezio came up beside me, putting the medicines that he had bought in his back pouch. "Maybe people are traveling a lot more this year. And in any case, it's not that much people."

"Doesn't it seem crowded?" I asked, and right at that moment I was bumped and almost knocked over.

Ezio took a hold of my elbow and started to lead me through all of the people. "You're just used to taking to the rooftops and the back streets of Venice—we've hardly been in the main plazas."

"Well, no wonder!" I said with a frown. "It's so hectic!"

Upon our arrival to the city, it was late afternoon, hotter than ever, and the streets piled with people. Ezio had realized that he was running low on supplied and we went to buy some more. The only thing to do now was to figure out where to go and where to look, but even with that we had difficulties. We ended up just sitting on a bench near the docks, hoping that some answers would just fall from the sky. It had been two summers since we had stopped Silvio from riding the boat to Cyprus, and we had nothing to go by.

Within the sea breeze roaming over the docks, Ezio and I sat in a silence, our focus lost in our own minds. Finally, Ezio sighed and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. Concerned, I put my hand on his back and leaned forward to try and get his attention.

"Ezio?"

"Narina," Ezio whispered, dropping his hands. "It just hit me that we've been at this for twelve years. We've been on this quest to figure out why my brother's and father were killed. We're not even any closer to knowing why than we were then!"

Seeing that he was getting frustrated, I leaned my cheek against his shoulder and hugged his arm to my chest. "Ezio, you know that is not true. We know so much more than we did when we were seventeen years old. And you should take pride in the fact that we've stuck with it as long as we have." He looked at me slowly, and I saw that he was still stressing. Lifting my head up, I kissed him softly. "Now chin up. We will figure this out, I swear it."

"Ezio! Narina!" We both looked up quickly, Ugo and Rosa waving at us from down the street, both of them running towards us now. "It's a good thing you guys are here!" Ugo said when he approached us. "We were worried that you wouldn't make it in time!"

"In time?" Ezio sat up straight, knocking away my arms and his hand cupping around mine. "In time for what?"

Rosa pressed Ugo aside, holding out a small black book. "This is the records of the shipping yard of L'Arsenale." She explained. "It gives all the records of every boat that has entered and left that port."

"Really?" Ezio reached forward for it. "Let me see."

Rosa held it away. "Guess when the boat from Cyprus is scheduled to return?"

Ugo reached up and took the book from Rosa's hand, giving it to Ezio. "It's coming back tomorrow," Ugo said with a grin. "Just think, tomorrow we'll know what the hell they went all across the Adriatic for!"

Grinning ear to ear, I gave Ezio's hand a rough squeeze. "See, I told you that we'd find something!"

Ezio stared at the black book blankly, almost as if in shock from it all.

"By the way," Rosa said, smiling down at us. "Leonardo stopped by yesterday and asked if you guys were here—it sounded important so you should probably head over there."

"Leo's back?" I said in astonishment, for it had been years since I had seen my favorite artist. "We'll head over immediately!" Ugo and Rosa took off and I stood up, trying to get Ezio to follow quickly. He put the book in his robe and let me lead him through the town to Leonardo's shop.

When we pushed through the door, I had to stopped to assess the cluttered room, all of his supplies having to be put away again. "Leonardo?" I called out, walking into the workshop. "Leonardo, you here?"

It seemed as if out of nowhere that Leonardo appeared, his arms stretched wide and his smile broad. "Narina! How good to see you again!" He gave me a quick hug, then pushed me away quickly. "Wait, it is great that you're both here! I have important news!"

"What is it?" Ezio asked, reaching up and pulling down his hood.

Leonardo paused. "Nice haircut, Ezio." He continued on quickly before either of us could reply. "I was looking over the copies of the last two codex pages that you brought to me and I noticed something strange. The words that are on the back of the documents, almost transparent; they match up with the words on the back of the other document!"Leonardo started to pace about the room, stroking his chin which was sprouting a small beard now. "So I started looking at all the other copies, and I managed to make out something: 'The Lost Prayer is the power that is able to unlock the truth.' Now from what I can gather, this prayer was lost among the years and was last heard of in Cyprus!"

I tilted my head. "So, wait, if Rodrigo had these codex's before, he knows this? Then they spent two years in Cyprus to find some stupid prayer?"

Ezio was silent in thought. Suddenly he reached out and put a hand to my shoulder. "Narina, wait! Don't you remember what Caterina said about the piece of Eden not working? Maybe this prayer is what unlocks the power within!" His eyes grew wider. "My God! They _have_ the piece of Eden from Forli! If they found the prayer, they'll be able to unlock it!"

"Don't be so sure," Leonardo said, surprisingly knowing what Ezio was talking about. "It says that the prayer can only work in...what I translated to 'the vault'. There was something about how the prayer was used to summon the power in the ancient days."

"So it must be a ritual of some kind. This vault must been the ancient worship place." Ezio considered it.

"In any case, we can't let Rodrigo get to the vault. We'll have to confront him tomorrow when he gets here." I shoved at Ezio's shoulder. "And you said we were no closer to figuring this out than we were twelve years ago."

"We still don't know what's going on," Ezio said in his defense. "I still don't like how much secrets we have going on." Ezio looked up to Leonardo. "If it isn't too much to ask of, friend, can we stay here tonight?"

The artist nodded. "Yes. Just be careful of all my supplies—I apologize for the mess."

When Ezio and I went to bed that night, we stayed up late voicing our thoughts on the latest developments of our adventure. "Our first concern is to get the piece of Eden away from their hands," Ezio pointed out. "Even if they have the prayer and the vault, without the piece of Eden , it's nothing."

I nodded. "But we eventually need to figure out this prayer ourselves."

"I guess you're right." Ezio snuggled down in the bed, pulling me closer before he claimed that we should get some sleep and he pinched out the flame of the candle.

* * *

It wouldn't be until evening that the boat would be arriving, so Ezio and I spent the entire day preparing for the obvious battle coming up. We trained a little bit with each other, but ended up in a loving manner that was the exact opposite of what we really wanted. We then went to the shopping market to get new armor and new weapons in possible, because Ezio wanted to be one hundred percent ready.

By the end of the day, Ezio was fidgety and fully focused—it was impossible to get his attention away from the task at hand. As the sun started to set, Ezio and I headed over to L'Arsenale, hiding upon the rooftops. From our high vantage point, we watched the dot in the distance on the sea turn into a boat pulling up into the docks. "That's the boat," Ezio whispered to me, obviously remembering it. Soldiers were everywhere all of a sudden; they lined the docks, the boat, the general vicinity.

"Look!" Ezio brought my attention to the boat again, for a guard was now walking down the boarding plank, holding a rather strange and fancy artifact. It almost looked like a crown of some sort, but I saw that it was a container in the bright sunset light. Was that the piece of Eden? Seemed strange that something so small could contain such power. As I considered it, I started to daze off, looking around the docks, when my eyes caught onto a figure.

"Ezio!" I whispered loudly, punching him in the side on accident in my excitement. "Isn't that Mario?"

He looked to where I was pointing, a confused look over coming his face. "Uncle Mario?" Then his attention went back to the guards, for they were handing the artifact to another guard, who ran off down the streets. "Where are they taking it?" Ezio looked at me. "You go see what the hell Mario is doing here. I'll trail behind that man and figure out where it's going. It may lead me to Rodrigo."

I nodded, feeling the seriousness of our mission now, knowing that we were so close to the truth. "Be careful and don't get caught—there's a lot of guards that even you couldn't handle by yourself."His golden eyes suddenly smoldered and he took a hold of my face, kissing me hard but quick, not even long enough for me to react right before he stood up and wished me luck, jumping across the rooftops to keep an eye on his moving target. I went the other way searching for Mario who had been hiding behind a building not too far away.

It didn't take me long to find him, for he was a man that I had known for a good portion of my life and I could recognize him from a mile away. He was looking around hesitantly as though he was worried to be singled out and attacked, heading in the same direction Ezio headed. I dropped down to the ground to confront the man, tailing behind him a bit until we were in a safe spot to talk.

"Mario!" I called out, making him jump and spin around to see me.

"Ah, Narina!" Mario waved for me to go to him.

"First of all, what are you doing here?" I asked as I got to him.

He held up a hand. "Hold your questions for a moment. We need to get with the others first."

"'Others'?" I was confused. "What are you talking about?"

Chuckling, the man took a hold of my elbow and started to lead me away. "I said hold your questions Narina. They will be answered soon."

"Mario," I started again, but remembered his words and kept my mouth shut. He lead me to the Ducale, and I was surprised that he knew where it was. In the familiar courtyard, we found Antonio waiting for us.

"You found Narina," he said, walking up and giving me a hug. "Good. Then Ezio is on the trail?"

"_Si,_" Mario replied, nodding.

"Okay what's going..." I faded off suddenly when I saw a tall figure appear from the shadows, the dim candle light lining the courtyard lit up the man's face, and I recognized him almost immediately. "Bartolomeo!"Another shadow moved and I suddenly realized that I was surrounded by dark figures. One by one, they stepped forward; first Bartolomeo, then Teodora, then...then La Volpe and Paola! What were they all doing here? Each of them greeted me and gave me a hug, telling me it was nice to see me again. Once the hugs were done, however, my eyes locked upon a figure that I did not know. He was young, a lot younger than I, but he looked intelligent and brave.

He held out his hand to me. "My name is Niccolo Machiavelli," he introduced. "I've heard much about your, Narina." I shook his hand firmly, nodding my introduction as well.

Then I looks to all of my companions smiling at me. "What are you all doing here?"

"Come, my child," Teodora said, gesturing for me to go to her. "Let me explain to you why we have gathered, for there is business for the others to tend to."

Mario nodded to me. "We'll see you at the battle field Narina." All of the men ran out of the courtyard and off down the streets, swords drawn and their intent clear. I looked to both Paola and Teodora, more confused than ever.

"Narina, why is it that you are here?" Paola hummed to me, and almost immediately I felt at ease between the two women.

"Ezio and I were here to catch Rodrigo coming from Cyprus." I remembered what Ezio and I had figured out. "Leonardo told us about why it was Cyprus! He said that-."

"It is an ancient place of worship. We know," Teodora explained.

Once more, I was at a loss. "So...wait. You knew? Why didn't you...?"

"History is much like a bard, Narina," Paola explained. "It repeats itself. The importance of Cyprus has been known to the Order since the time of our ancestors in the crusades. We knew the importance would come about again."

"Then how did you know that today was when the boat...?"

"We have known that the prayer was in Cyprus from the Codex pages ourselves. Mario figured it out years ago. And you must know that Antonio has had a hold of the shipping record boat for about a year now—we've known that today was the day for months."

I suddenly felt more angry than surprised. "And you let Ezio and I stumble around like idiots?"

"You're both young," Teodora pointed out. "The point of being young, my child, is knowing how to figure out things for yourself. We cannot always be here to help you."

When I thought about it, they _all_ had helped us before. All throughout the twelve year span that Ezio and I had been on this path, they had been there for us.

"That is enough discussion for now," Paola said. "We must make haste." We followed after the path the boys had went on, and although I did want to ask more questions, I held my tongue and we rushed through the streets. Soon, we came to a small plaza, metal clanging loudly through it. I saw all of the men that I had just seen fighting a large group of guards...but where was Ezio? I didn't see his white robes amongst the battle, and I was suddenly concerned. What had happened to him? Paola kept a firm hold on my arm and Teodora ran into the battle, scooping up a box that was on the ground before coming back and standing by us once more, tucking the box under her arm protectively.

"Ezio's resourceful, as always," I heard Paola say to Teodora, smiles on their faces.

Wondering where they saw Ezio, I looked at the battle again. I saw one of the guards swing a sword backwards, his face flashing in the dim twilight, and I knew that it was Ezio almost immediately. Why was he dressed up like a guard? Suddenly I was mesmerized by how fluent his movements were, how calm he seemed to be even in the heat of battle. As the rest of the men finished the guards off, Ezio raises his sword above his head, aiming to finish off Rodrigo who had been injured in the battle. "This is for my father!" Ezio exclaimed out.

Suddenly Rodrigo hooked a foot around Ezio's knee, and Ezio clattered to the ground, knocking his head back on the stone street. Rodrigo made a break for it and took off. Seeing that he was going to get away, I ripped from Paola's hold and ran after him, having chased down Templars before (quite literally too). But my arm was seized and I was pulled to a stop, Mario staring down at me. "He is gone, but don't waste time chasing him down, my girl."

Although I wanted to disagree, I nodded and he let my arm go. Paola helped Ezio stand up from the ground and everyone's attention went to him.

"No, I have to go after him!" Ezio argued with the woman, making to push past her.

"Do you really, my son?" Teodora asked, walking up to him. "We have what is the most important factor in their plan, Ezio. That is good enough for now."

Ezio looked around at all of his allies that surrounded him, his eyes getting wide in wonder. "What are you all doing here?"

Machiavelli took a step forward. "We are here for the same reason you are, Ezio. We are here to stop Rodrigo's plan, and thanks to you, we were able to succeed."

Ezio's eyes hardened from under the helmet that he was wearing. "Who are you?"

The man nodded, smiling. "I am Niccolo di Bernardo del Machiavelli. I am an Assassin." I was surprised by this, and once again looked at the young man, wondering if what he really said was true. I could see the surprise on Ezio's face as well. "I am trained in the ancient ways to safeguard mankind's evolution." Machiavelli gestured to everyone around us. "Just like you, and each one of us here."

Both mine and Ezio's eyes went to the people around us, looking at them as not just our allies, but fellow assassins. "You're all Assassin's?" Ezio asked, astonished. "Volpe? Paola?"

Mario took a step forward and took a hold of Ezio's shoulder. "It is true_, nipote_. We have all guided you and trained you all these years to give you the skill to join us." Mario held his head up high, proudly. "I think it is time."

Ezio was still at a loss, but for some reason, I didn't feel all that surprised to find that they were all assassins. I had guessed that Volpe and Paola were, and the rest...it didn't surprise me.

Antonio was the next one to step forward to Ezio. "There is much work to be done. When you are ready, come up to the tower over there." He pointed across the town to a tower that was high above the floating city.

"Make it quick, hm?" Volpe said with a teasing grin, patting Ezio's shoulder before he began to walk off. Teodora gave the box that I figured at the piece of Eden in it to Mario, who surrounded himself with all of his allies. Paola gave Ezio a hug and then just like that, they were all gone, leaving Ezio and I.

Our eyes met briefly before I ran to him, hugging him. We didn't say anything, but I pulled off his helmet for him and shook out his short, sweaty hair, smiling softly at him. He smiled too, then reached up and took a hold of my hand, pressing my fingers to his lips before he began to lead me away. We went and found his assassin robes hidden in one of the alleyways, and he explained that he knew the only way to get to Rodrigo was to disguise himself. While hiding in the shadows of the buildings, he stripped from the guard's outfit he was wearing and I helped him put on his robe, and just like many many times before, I helped him tie up the robes.

* * *

When we managed to climb up the tower, I flopped over the edge first, looking up at all the assassin's staring down at me. There was a giant torch looking thing that was lit on fire, giving everyone of the people upon the tower a holy look glowing upon their faces. I stood straight, and then Ezio was standing next to me. All of them were staring intently at him now, and I was ushered to a spot between Paola and Antonio.

Mario stood in front of the fire, the glow casting a shadowy look upon his face. "_Laa shey'a waqi'un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine_," Mario spoke in a foreign language, reminding me of the way Tamair used to speak when he thought I wasn't listening. "These are the words that our ancestors have spoken before us, the ones who lay at the very heart of our creed."

Machiavelli took a few steps forward, his hands folded. "When other men blindly follow the truth, remember..."

"Nothing is true," Ezio whispered, and the words made me freeze, as though they brought back some memories that I had forgotten long ago. Nodding, Machiavelli started again. "When men are limited, by mortality or law, remember..."

"Everything is permitted," Ezio finished again, nodding in acknowledgment to the creed.

"We work in the dark to serve the light," Machiavelli said in finality. "We are Assassins."

Everyone around the tower repeated the creed, excluding me who stared into the fire intently, trying to sort out my thoughts, trying to gain the skill to remember what was bothering me so.

Mario waved his hand for Ezio to approach the fire. "It is time, Ezio. In this modern age, we are not so literal as our ancestors were. But our seal is no less permanent. Are you ready to join us, my boy?"

Ezio nodded. "I am."

Antonio's movement beside me made me jump in surprise, for he was reaching into the fire, pulling out a tool that the curved tips were glowing red like the embers in a campfire. "This will hurt but only for a bit, much like many things, brother." Something twisted in my stomach as I watched Ezio hold up his hand, and suddenly I felt a cold sweat on the back of my neck. I never liked watching Ezio getting hurt, but something was different with this. I had to control my breaths from pounding out of my throat, and right when the burning metal seared into Ezio's ring finger, I clamped my eyes shut, hearing him suck in a low breath.

Then it was gone, and Machiavelli spoke once more. "_Benvenuto_, Ezio," he said. "You are one of us now, my brother."

Then his gaze landed on me, and before he could even say anything, I said in a calm voice, "Although it would be an honor, I am no assassin." Machiavelli caught and held my gaze for a moment, as if trying to judge my meaning, then suddenly he smiled and nodded.

"I can understand this."

Ezio, who had been staring at his finger that now had a burnt ring around it, looked up at me, his brow furrowed. But before he could say anything, Machiavelli reached out and took a hold of Ezio's shoulder. "Come, Ezio, there is much that we need to do." Everyone moved to the edge of the tower, one by one they climbed to the edge and jumped off, a leap of faith to end the ritual. Soon, it was just Ezio and I upon the tower. He stared at me for a moment before gesturing to the edge.

"Ladies first."

For some reason, I found myself standing in the same place, staring at the darkness that was now surrounding us aside from the fire beside me. And what was even stranger was that I started to feel guilty, like there was a virus inside of me that was tearing me up. I wasn't sure if it was because of my decline to the offer to join the brotherhood officially, or if it was because of an entirely different thing; something that had been left in the wake of my unknown memories.

"Narina." He was holding his hand out to me, and I couldn't help but stare at the new scar that was sure to form there around his finger.

Then I finally snapped out of it and climbed over the edge, staring down at the pile of hay down at the bottom before I turned and looked back to Ezio. Smiling, he encouraged me with a nod and in the next moment I was flying through the air, aiming for a bouncy haystack.

* * *

After the assassins discussed what was to happen now that they had the piece of Eden in possession, Antonio decided to throw a celebration at the Ducale. Being the ladies they are, Paola and Teodora refused the offer and went back to Teodora's church for the night. I would have went with them, but Ezio insisted that I stay at his side and tell stories to the others while they all got tipsy with wine.

Something seemed to be wrong with me though. Even if I did adore celebrations now, I felt as though there was really nothing to be celebrating about. The feeling of guilt plagued me even more and more and it got so bad before the night even got that late that I went to bed and curled up in a ball under the blankets, wanting the world to disappear.

I'm not sure how long I was curled up, half asleep, when Ezio came stumbling in. He saw me curled up in the candlelight, kicked of his boots and threw off his robes before he used his hands to unroll me, pulling the blanket off of me before he climbed in and embraced me to his chest.

"What's the matter?" he asked, his breath reeking of wine. Although I could tell that he wasn't drunk, I could still see that he was a little tipsy.

"Nothing," I muttered, snuggling into his chest, the thin layer of hair tickling at my face.

"A little wine could wash your worry away," he said, grin in his voice.

Shaking my head, I couldn't share his humor. "I think I just want to sleep."

"Mm." He shifted around, his hands curling around the curve of my skull. "Me too." Now in the warmth of Ezio's body, I almost felt myself relax a little bit more, and before too long, I fell asleep.

* * *

There was a young man in front of me, his jaw clenched and his eyes filled with worry, locked on his left hand that was spread out on the table. My own hand was gripping onto someone else, although I couldn't tell for my eyes were locked on the young man's hand as well. My stomach was filled with such terror as I watched a hooded man approach the other side of the table, a giant knife in his hand. It was then that I realized that I wasn't holding onto someone, they were holding me back, like I didn't want this to happen. The young man with the dark hair and wide, innocent eyes singled out his ring finger upon the surface, his other fingers curling up into his fist. Then the man with the knife raised the blade in the air, the younger one cringing and clamping his eyes shut. I watched in horror as the knife sliced through the air, straight for the young man's finger before my eyes too clamped shut. The thunk of the knife hitting the table made me cry out, jerking away from whoever held me...

And I found myself sitting up in bed, Ezio's arms knocked aside and his gaze locked on me as if I were crazy.

I sighed in relief, rubbing my forehead and brushing away the sweat on my skin.

"Are you okay?" Ezio asked, his voice deepened by his sleepy state and his eyes squinting from both the candle and his drinks the night before.

"Yeah." I ran my fingers through my hair, shaking it out, before I drew my knees up to my chest and let my arms rest upon them. "Just bad dreams, that's all."

"Ah." Ezio reached over and put out the candle that we had forgotten to deal with before we went to bed, throwing the room into darkness aside from the small amount of light peeking from around the curtains at the window, the pre dawn light of the sun. "What about?"

I blinked, adjusting to the lack of light. "People getting their finger's chopped off."

Ezio didn't say anything, but I felt him shift around before he was surrounding me, my shoulders pressed against his chest as he held me to his lap. His fingertips were running up and down my arm and his breath was against my neck. "I'm sure we're both glad that it really didn't have to come to that," he mumbled. Then he paused. "Why didn't you accept being part of the order?"

I shrugged, his chin rasping against my shoulder in the process. "I'm not cut out to be an assassin, Ezio."

"Nonsense," he muttered, kissing my neck and making a shudder bolt through me. "You're the one that has saved my ass many times by being knowledgeable, you fight to protect those around you, and you have killed someone."

"That doesn't make me an assassin though," I pointed out. "I've watched you for years, Ezio, and believe me when I say that I'm not meant to be an assassin."

"So, you're saying you're supposed to be the wench of an assassin then?" He was teasing me now, and I felt like I could humor him.

"Well, if _wench_ is how you want to think of it, although I'm pretty sure if you ever called me a wench, I would make you regret it." I let him chuckle about that before I continued. "But I'm serious, Ezio. And what scares me now is that, if I'm not supposed to be an assassin with you, then...who the hell am I?"

"You're Narina," he mumbled.

"Narina is what you made me," I reminded him. "Neither of us know who I am."

Ezio hummed into my skin. "I know who you are. You're a beautiful, strong, sexy, confident, and amazing woman who is too good for me but chooses to stick around anyway. And that's enough for me."

I couldn't help but smile shyly at that, and I leaned back into his chest. "Thanks Ezio."

* * *

**I AM SO SORRY THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG!**

**But, as you have notice, I'm sure, I had to change a few key things in order for my plot to work. And that took me a long time to actually get all together.**

**I know I changed the game sequence with Ezio's birthday and all, but I really didn't want to spend Ezio's 29th birthday in Venice. I wanted him to spend it at home with his little Narina. :3 Deal with it!**

**And in any case, my friend wants me to write her a short Altair story for her so I've been working on that as well. It's fun—I've never worked with Altair before. :3**

**Yes! :3 I have watched the Revelations trailer, and I have to admit, I REALLY want to do something with it in relation to my story...maybe have Ezio and Tamair meet each other or something...maybe. We'll see what the game deals with and I'll decide.**

**SO! This chapter leads to many filler chapters (okay...maybe like three filler chapters) and then THE ENDING! I hope the fillers go by really quick so I can start filling out this ending—I'm still having troubles figuring it all out.**

**Annnnd I'm actually really curious about what all of you think I'm heading with this story. :3 I'd love to hear theories if you have any!**

**Thanks for reading and PLEASE review. :3**

**-Em**

**(yes, I did chop Ezio's hair off. Whayyda gonna do abou' it? :3)**

**_Thanks to HanashiNoSensu for Betaing~!  
_**


	39. You're What?

**-Time for Filler Chapter Galore! But don't be fooled—even if they are all filler chapters, they are all pretty important. :3 Whether it be for the plot, the romance, or whatever.  
-*falls over* I have the best readers ever...thank you guys so much. *hugs *  
-This chapter is going to break a lot of your hearts...but then don't worry, I mend it right up afterward. :3  
-Thanks to Dragon's-Maidens for helping me with the chapter title. XD She is so silly.**

* * *

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**Chapter 38: You're What?**

* * *

The sweat dripped down the back of my neck, my breaths falling in small huffs through my lips, the heat all of a sudden too much, feeling like I was about to pass out as I threw my head back to move the sweaty hair from my eyes.

"Oh my God," I moaned loudly. "It's so hot!"

"I know," Ezio huffed back, his cheeks flushed.

"Are you almost done?" I asked, looking into his golden eyes.

"Yeah," he hummed, his muscles in his arms flexing as he pressed his fingertips against the wall, "give me a few more minutes."

"Well, hurry up!" I snapped, aggravated. "I finished up forever ago!"

"Narina!" Ezio growled back. "Stop antagonizing me! It's not going to fix this hole."

Pouting, I flopped back down on the roof, closing my eyes against the hot sun. The Villa's structure had finally given in and a large hole had fallen through the roof on the east side of the house. Mario sent Ezio and I to fix it. Well, he actually sent Ezio to fix it but I insisted on helping. I really wished I hadn't though.

For some odd reason, any weakness that Mario found in the city caused him to panic, for we had the piece of Eden locked away in the sanctuary, in a chest that Mario hauled down there. Afraid that our enemies would come here to retrieve it, Mario made sure there were no holes in our defense...and the roofs. Basically, we spent our entire summer renovating the city, building up the defenses.

"Ezio, we haven't done anything fun for months," I complained. "No, actually, for years! Things keep getting more and more difficult and busy. When was the last time we had a nice vacation away from all this?"

Ezio finished boarding up the hole and looked up at me through his still short, spiky hair (I had made him maintain it since I had liked it so much). "At least we're getting things done," he muttered. "We can't have fun all the time."

"But it's been forever," I whined. "The last time I even recall any fun was your birthday and that doesn't count."

He stood up, rolling his head to pop his neck. "Fine. What do you want to do?"

I frowned. "I don't know. Something fun."

"Do you want to go to Venice then?"

"No." I turned and walked towards the spot where we would climb down off of the roof. "After seeing Venice in _il Carnevale_, the city doesn't seem fun unless people are dancing with masks and everything. Fireworks would help too."

Ezio sighed and rubbed his forehead, the sweat smearing onto his fingertips. "We'll figure out something. But you do know that Mario wants us to find the remaining codex pages as soon as possible and we still have to find all of the seals for the armor down in the sanctuary."

"I know. We can do that later. We've built up defenses here that will last for years." I dropped down over the edge of the roof, landing on the balcony below, and waited for Ezio to follow. When he was standing next to me again, I looked up at him, pouting softly. "I want to do something memorable and fun. I feel like I'm losing all those years."

Finally, he nodded slowly and leaned his head forward to press a kiss to my forehead. "I'll come up with something, I promise."

* * *

Ezio woke me up early in the morning about a week later, grinning ear to ear, despite my upset glare at him. In my haze, he stood me up, threw some clothes on me and drug me outside. I was thrown upon Guido and before I knew it, we were galloping down the road, kicking up dust in our wake.

It took me nearly the entire trip to realize that we were going to Florence. When I saw the town in the distance down the path, it hit me like a ton of bricks and immediately I began to ask questions. Ezio waved them all off, telling me that it was going to be a surprise. I knew he must have come up with some sort of fun vacation for us to take, even though I had already been to Florence that year. I guess anything outside of Monteriggioni would be fun. Leaving the horses at the stables, we went into the city and stopped to eat a bit of food. We had started the day out so early that it had to have only been a few hours before noon. Thinking that we were going to visit Volpe or Paola, I was surprised when Ezio led me back out of the city, grinning like a small boy the entire way. We must have been heading over to Venice or something and on instinct, I turned Guido towards the east. But Ezio turned his to the west, flicking his head for me to follow him. Surprised and very curious, I followed him down the new path, wondering just what Ezio had come up with this time.

We kept riding into the night, Ezio not willing to stop, telling me to keep my eyes open for just a bit longer. Somewhere along the way, we had veered off of the path and started heading across the fields as if Ezio were avoiding towns at all costs. I could feel Guido bicker under me, obviously wanting to stop as much as I did. Seeing that I was about to topple over, Ezio stopped and had me climb off of Guido and into his saddle so that I could lean against him and rest my weary eyes, hugging his waist. He tied Guido to his saddle and we were off once more.

I'm not sure how long we rode for but when Ezio woke me up, his deep voice against my skin, I opened my eyes to the moon high above us and the stars twinkling brightly. There was the sound of the wind and swaying grass...and water, rushing, roaring. It had to have been waves. I looked around Ezio.

And a loud gasp was ripped out of my throat, my eyes widening.

We were riding towards a long stretch of sand, foaming waves crashing against it, echoing loudly off of the hills that dipped down into the water. The high moon reflected off of the sea, turning the sand to a creamy color, bright and yet dark all at the same time. There were broken trees and other objects washed up on the shore. I had never been to the beach and felt the sand in between my toes before, so as soon as the horse's hooves left the grass and started delving into the sand, I squirmed and jumped off of the horse, running towards the water edge while simultaneously kicking off my boots, letting my toes delve down into the shifty material that was still warm from the sun earlier in the day. It was hard to run in the sand, the shifting of it throwing me off balance for a few moments. To me, it had felt like I had taken forever to get to the lip of the reaching waves on the beach. When I did, I immediately started to tread in the lapping water, splashing loudly and finally laughing.

By the time Ezio had gotten to the water's edge, his boots off as well, I was soaking wet from the spray of the water and slightly chilled by the night air but I was still smiling all the same. Ezio tied the horses to some of the drift along the beach before he approached me.

"It occurred to me the other day that you have only seen the Adriatic Sea," he explained. "I then decided that it was time for you to see the great Mediterranean."

Feeling all giddy and happy, I threw myself at him. He was expecting it and caught me, turning me about in a spin with the water around his ankles. We fell down, laughing and dizzy, to the dry sand that stuck to our skin and clothes. His hand wrapped around mine, knitting his fingers with mine before he sighed and stared up at the night sky.

"My father brought all of us here years and years ago," he whispered. I rolled over and curled up into his side, resting my head upon his chest so that I could stare up at him. He smiled. "Federico had to have been barely ten, so I was only seven, Claudia was five, Petruccio only three. I didn't know it at the time, but now when I look back on it, Father must have had a mission on this coast and he didn't want to leave my mother at home with all the kids, so he brought us along for a vacation of sorts." Ezio pointed down the beach. "If we ride along the beach until we're around those trees, we'll find a small little house that my father had found when we were here. We can stay there tonight and play around tomorrow."

Then he stood up, hauling me up with him with soft tugs and caring hands. He loaded me up onto Guido again and we road to the trees, Ezio finding the small hut immediately as if he had spent all day recalling where it was

"Could you tie up the horses for me, Narina?" He asked. "I'm going to check the inside real quick—it's been a long time since I've even been here."

"Yeah, sure." I dismounted Guido and reached for Ezio's mare's reigns. Ezio went into the house as I tied the horses to a nearby tree, giving them enough slack to graze. I took a moment then to let my eyes close and feel the night air wash over my face, listening to the crash of the waves on the beach only a moment away. I had never felt so serene and calm. I guess it wasn't necessarily considered fun yet, but this was exactly what I was talking about. A remote place that we could escape everything for just a little while.

There was no way that I could repay Ezio back for this...or was there? Smirking, I immediately went to work, throwing off my vest, prying open the long neck line so that my breasts were peeping out, then I leaned back against Guido as I took off my pants, leaving me in my undergarments. Gathering my discarded clothes, I folded them over Guido and quickly went to the house, intent on making this night even more memorable.

The door was halfway open, so I slowly walked in, only able to see what the moon pouring through the door and broken windows allowed. The room was small, dusty, cramped, and filled with either broken or rotten furniture. Ezio wasn't in the small room, so I decided to check the two other doors that were inside. The first one led to an even smaller room with a rusty tub. The other door, however, led to a bedroom, and Ezio was already laying in the bed. Grinning, I slowly walked to him, my fingers lifting to twirl into the tips of my hair.

"The horses are all..." my speech slowed, "tied up." I stopped, letting my hand dropped as I was close enough to see his face in the moonlit room.

He was fast asleep.

Sighing, I sat down at the edge of the bed and looked down at him, wondering why whenever I wanted to have sex, we somehow never managed to get around to it. I couldn't get too mad, though, because I did remember that he had been up all day and Ezio hadn't been able to get a little nap like I did.

Leaning over him, I kissed his cheek, then climbed into the other side of the dusty bed, curling up in a ball and falling asleep.

* * *

A fly was buzzing loudly in my ear when I snapped awake, the annoying hum floating around the room. My eyes blinked furiously as they adjusted to the bright, bright light pouring through the window. For a good moment, I was at a loss as to where I was, slowly rolling over in the bed that I was laying in, gazing about the room. Then I remembered immediately about the day long horse ride and the warm sandy beach. Realizing that Ezio was no longer in the bed, I flailed out of it, fixing my loose shirt that was still opened scandalously. Only feeling a little self-conscious about my bare legs, I figured that I could just step outside and get dressed anyway.

I walked out of the old house, raising a hand to my brow to shade my eyes from the intense light. Judging from the heat and the small shadows at the bases of the trees, it had to have been around noon. Guido and the mare were untied, grazing freely and yet still staying in the vicinity. I noticed that my clothes were now folded over a fallen tree and as I got closer to them, I realized that Ezio's robes and shirt were folded over the tree as well. My gaze adverted to the beach area where we had come from early in the morning, seeing a faint trail of footsteps in the sand. Momentarily forgetting my clothes, I followed the tracks, pushing through the thin foliage before I was out on the beach once more.

At the end of the footsteps embedded in the sand down at the waters edge was Ezio, his bare back towards me and his gaze out on the sea. When I tried to follow in the large footprints, I was surprised to find that the sand under my feet was scalding hot form the sun, making me gasp and frown in surprise. Sucking in a deep breath, I steeled myself for what I was about to do. Then I was running across the sand, muttering 'ow' under my breath with every burning step I took. I guess I made a lot of noise, because Ezio turned towards me surprised. Before he could say anything, I launched myself at him and knocked him over, both of us rolling to the ground.

Ending up on top, I stared down at Ezio, who was covered with both sand and water, each glistening in the sun along with his muscle-dimpled torso. His golden eyes were lit up immensely in the summer weather.

Huffing lightly, he propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at me with a lopsided grin. "_Buon giorno_, Narina," he hummed. "Going for a noon run, as I can see?"

"The sand is hot," I whined in defense. "My feet were getting burned."

We both laughed, the waves lapping up on the beach and bubbling around us, darkening the sand underneath. I let my fingers tangle with his as I shifted myself over him comfortably. Grinning at me, Ezio tilted his head down and automatically I lifted my chin up. The kisses were soft, little pecks, his thumb brushing sensually against mine.

"Mm," I muttered, pulling away and looking into his eyes. "What was the forlorn gaze out to the sea for?"

Shifting on his elbows, he looked out to the sea again, the shadow of the faraway look overcoming his face. "I was just thinking that the last time I had came here, it was with my brother's and family." He shook his head slowly. "I can still almost see little Petruccio playing in the sand with his tiny little hands as my mother sat close to him, stroking his hair while humming softly. Claudia thought it was hilarious to throw sand at Federico and I." A grin broke out on his face. "And Federico and I would splash her back with water and occasionally he would pick her up and threaten to drop her out in the water if she didn't behave." He laughed. "We had so much fun! We would roll in the sand and laugh until we nearly..." Ezio faded of then, his smile disappearing and the forlorn look inking back into his expression. "It was such a long time ago," he finished.

Seeing how sad he had gotten, I let my fingers hold onto him tighter before I let myself lay down against his chest, trying to comfort him. I felt him kiss the top of my head. "Being in places like these," he muttered, "makes me wish that things wouldn't have turned out the way they did."

I felt guilty all of a sudden, sad that I had brought him here to relive memories that he could only imagine. Snuggling into his chest, the surge of the waves bubbling around us again, I placed a soft kiss to his sternum as an apology.

Then he was laughing, the sound pounding in his chest, making me look up at him in wonder. Grinning, he told me, "But I guess if Federico was still alive, I wouldn't have ever gotten the _pleasure_ that is you, would I have?"

Frowning, I leaned up again. "We don't know that," I objected.

"Nah, you two would have got married years ago," Ezio pointed out. "You would have a bunch of little Narinas and Federicos parading around and causing hell."

Not seeing why he was doing this to both of us, I tilted my head at him. "Not saying that I'm glad that Federico died too young but I am glad that you somehow convinced me to love you."

Grinning, Ezio pressed his forehead to mine. "_Proprio per questio, sono un uomo veramente _fortunato. (And for that, I am a very lucky man)."

Humming under my breath at his sweet-laced words, I pursed my lips forward and kissed him, my hands untangling his, I wrapped my arms around his back. Kissing me harder, he flipped us around so that I was pressed back into the sand, his muscled body hovering over me. The heat of the kiss heightened as tongues were added into the mix but a sudden gasp was ripped out of me as I was submerged in freezing water, the waves pooling around me as they lapped at the beach. Ezio chuckled as the bubbles slipped away back to the sea.

"Now that you're all wet," he muttered, his eyes sparking. "Let's lay your clothes out so that they can dry."

I couldn't help but put on a silly grin as he pulled my shirt over my head, the wet material sticking to my skin before it was thrown aside and Ezio's warm hands were cupping around my bare breasts, his mouth back on mine as he seemed to suck the breath out of me. My hands had found their place around his neck, pulling me closer momentarily before they slipped down his chiseled chest and past his rock hard stomach, my fingers hooking into his slacks. As my knuckles brushed against his hips bone, he hummed in delight against my lips, moving his chin down as he nuzzled his nose into my neck. Instead of undressing him, I decided to play with him a bit and started to run my fingertips along his stomach softly.

"You know what?" I whispered, my middle finger finding and dipping into his navel, tracing his happy trail. "I tried to have my way with you last night but when I went inside, you were asleep."

His breaths beat against my throat as he laughed. "Sorry. I figured something was up when I woke up and found you half naked beside me." A kiss was pressed to my skin. "But I'll make it up to you now."

"You better," I muttered, tracing his skin at the edge of his pants.

Lifting his head, he stared into my eyes intently, smirking widely, before he gave me a hard kiss that was full of promise of what was to come. Before I could make my move on him, his fingers were curling into my underwear. Then he was pulling away, sitting up straight as his rough hand lifted up my legs, the other guiding the material over my feet. The undergarments were thrown aside to where my shirt was laying in the sand. While he was still sitting up, I reached up and took a hold of his bottoms and tugged them down his legs. He fell back on his backside as he kicked them aside and, giggly and blushing, I pushed myself up so that I was sitting in front of him in between his legs, my hair and back wet from the water that still surged around us.

Seeing that I what I was going for, my eyes locked onto his 'prize', he was in no mood to be in the hands of a woman for he pushed me away before I could grab onto him and then he was over me again, twirling his fingers with mine as he held my hands into the shifting sand. He used his knees to prod at my legs and they automatically lifted up, wrapping around his hips, his organ slipping inside of me at the same time. My head leaned back into the sand, creating a small crater, as I closed my eyes in the pleasure that was Ezio. He took me swiftly and artfully as he always did, his mouth locked onto my shoulders and neck. As she shuddered over me, spilling his hot seed inside of me, he pulled away and rolled to the side, blocking me from most of the sea's waves.

The sun was blinding overhead, warming my skin from the absence of Ezio's body and I draped my arms over my face as I caught my breath, waiting for my heart to settle down. Feeling as though I could fall asleep again, I was a little miffed when I felt Ezio touching my skin again and finally I lifted my arms and looked up at him. He was grinning ear to ear, the same spark lighting his eyes. Exasperated, I sighed and gave him a tired look. "You're already ready to go again?"

With a smirk I knew all too well, he nodded, drawing his tongue across his lips unnecessarily to show me that he was 'hungry'. Wondering why and how I dealt with him all of the time, I somehow managed myself to get into the mood once more before I was pulled to him again.

After our second coming, I did fall asleep on the warm, grainy sand, drenched in both the water from the never-before-seen Mediterranean Sea and my own sweat (and perhaps some of Ezio's too). I merely slept long enough for Ezio to get my clothes back on before I blinked back to life, staring sleepily at Ezio who was smiling softly at me as he lifted me up into his arms.

"Are you going to sleep all day or are you going to enjoy our vacation?"

Knowing that he wanted me to explore around with him, I leaned forward so my face was buried in his neck, humming loudly, trying to wake myself up even more. Then I wiggled around, making him drop me down to my feet. I groggily walked over to where his discarded pants were, my legs a little sore, picked them up and helped Ezio put them on, tying them up. As I finished the knot, I looked up to him, and he met me halfway, pressing a soft kiss to my lips that was like a butterfly, warm and fluttering. Then he took a firm hold on my hand and led me out into the water. Once the waves were lapping around our torsos, Ezio let me go and began to splash me with the salty water, making me squeak and laugh, running away as fast as I could in the deep water. We spent a while laughing and playing around in the water, stopping at one point to kiss before continuing to splash each other. I thought that Ezio was going to end up finishing on teaching me how to swim but he led me back onto the hot, sandy beach before too long and told me that we were going to go look in the drift wood a bit down the beach to see if we could find anything interesting. We didn't spend that much time poking around the drift before my stomach screamed out in its hunger, so Ezio threw me over his shoulder and hauled me back to the small shack. We ate some of the provisions Ezio had packed for us and then I somehow passed out, curling up like a cat and sleeping in the hot sand. I had no idea why I was so tired all of a sudden—perhaps having to work my tail off the past months had something to do with it. I woke up at one point some time later to found Ezio curling himself around me, both of us in a bed, him holding me close as he rested his head against mine and his chest heaving before I slipped back into a sleep.

Ezio must have been disappointed with my sleepiness, because he woke me up with a shower of kisses, impatient and hot. My eyes fluttered opened and I looked around warily, seeing that it was now dark, the dusty room dimly lit by the moonlight pouring through the broken windows. A shiver bolted through me when Ezio's tongue ran across the outside of my ear, making me sleepily roll over to look at him. His lips were spread out in a grin and he watched me quietly for a moment. Then I snuggled into his chest, hugging him tightly.

"Why am I so tired?" I mumbled, pressing a kiss to his chest.

"We've been busy lately," Ezio hummed back, his hand rubbing my back and his lips pressed against my hair. "That's what this vacation was for." He paused. "But I really didn't think you'd sleep the entire time."

"Hey," I objected, lifting my head to pout at him. The pout he was giving me was almost ten times more professional. "We had sex." I reminded him. "Don't give me that." We battled it out through our stares for a moment before Ezio sighed and pulled away, sitting up on the side of the bed.

"I guess it doesn't matter anyway," he mumbled. "We need to head out for Florence anyway. If you're up to it, we could head out right now."

I looked back out the window, gazing at the dark, night sky. "Isn't it in the middle of the night?" I wondered, looking back at Ezio, who was leaning over, pulling on his boots.

Ezio nodded slowly. "Yeah, but if we're up, we might as well leave now."

Saddened at the thought that our vacation was already over, I reached out towards Ezio, leaning up against his broad, strong back. "Well...can we stay just a little bit longer?"

I felt Ezio's muscles in his back flex as he shrugged. "Sure. What do you want to do then?"

A silence washed over us as I thought about what I wanted to do. Since it was nighttime, playing in the water may be too cold, and since it was dark out, searching the beach for interesting things wouldn't be easy either. There was always the exploration of _Ezio_ but I felt like I had explored that aspect enough for twenty-four hours. Then it hit me and I smiled, pulling away from Ezio. "I want to ride Guido across the beach. I think he'd like it."

Judging by the way Ezio looked at me over his shoulder, I could tell that he was miffed that I was thinking about my horse rather than him and I simply giggled in response. So we got dressed and loaded up our things, planning on taking the night ride before we would then turn to the way back to Florence and ride all day. Guido was happy to see that we were leaving—I got the impression Guido didn't find the beach as relaxing as I had. He nuzzled my hand lovingly as I patted his nose, swinging up into the saddle a moment later.

Ezio walked over to make sure my saddle straps were tight, and Guido took the moment to take a snap at the assassin's arm. Biting back his complaints, Ezio went over to his own horse and mounted swiftly, reaching up and pulling his hood over his head. Without a word, we steered our horses back out onto the beach and rode along the lapping waves, silver from the moon high in the sky. I stared at the seemingly endless stretch of water, my eyes on the dark horizon. Finally, Ezio prompted that we should go. Before he could steer his horse away, I reached out and grabbed onto his cape, pulling on him to make the horses step closer together. Seeing what I was going for, Ezio leaned over and met my kiss, the shade of his hood overcasting my face.

"Thanks for the day of fun," I muttered against his lips. "I know we're really busy, so it means a lot that you found the time for little ol' me." I pulled away, my hand reaching forward and tracing his jaw, the tug of his stubble pleasant.

Grinning down at me, Ezio leaned into my touch. "I owe you a lot, Narina. Besides, it was nice to relax anyway."Kissing me again, he then pulled away, once again saying that we should head out. According to him, if we left now, then we would make it to Florence in the daylight hours. So we headed out for the city that looked of gold yet smelled of sulfur.

* * *

As we rode along the path that stretched out before us, the sky above lightened before finally streaking with light blue from the sun peering over the mountains. The world slowly came to life, wild animals roaming the plains to the side, and small little towns appearing in the distance. It was like waking up from a dream, moving from a place that was loved and cherished to a place that made me realize that there was still a reality to consider. I asked why we were planning on staying in Florence, and Ezio replied that it was because we needed the codex pages there in the city anyway—either Paola or Volpe had probably done some research on where the pages were located in the city and all we would have to do is search them out. I was sad that it was already back to work. Even though I had a nice time on our 'vacation', I felt like I was being thrown back into the fray all too soon. Throughout the day, we stopped a few times to give the horses a break and to eat whatever provisions we had left.

It was a little after noon when we arrived we again steered our horses towards the stables and with them tended to, Ezio and I headed into the city, hand in hand as we mode our way towards the brothel north of the Duomo. Paola was happy to see us again, asked what we needed and gave us information that Volpe had given to her on Codex's in the city. Preparing himself, we stopped by the markets so that Ezio could buy some more throwing knives and medicine. Without even stopping to adjust, we were thrown back into duty as we ran across the rooftops, scouting out the city. We stopped by several buildings all throughout the city, Ezio dispatching the guards while I slipped inside through a window or other ways to poke through the rooms to try and find the hidden codex pages. Of course, there were the few times that I was caught in the act and I would have to make a hasty retreat with the codex tucked away under my arm, flying out the window like a trapped bird darting for freedom. By the end of the day, we not only collected all of the recorded codex pages we'd known of but we also caused quite a stir in the city watch. Soon, wanted posters were up and our welcome in Florence was quickly burned up. We stayed at Paola's for the night and left early in the morning, missing the rush of the city.

* * *

Upon arriving back in Monteriggioni, Ezio turned to me as we walked up the stairs to the Villa. "You said you looked over pages over in Palestine, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It takes me a lot longer than it does Leonardo though."

"That's fine." Ezio handed me the satchel that we put the codex pages in. "I need you to look over these and get them figured out as soon as possible. We don't have the time to ride over to _Venezia_ to go to Leonardo just yet."

Huffing lightly, not wanting to go through the trouble of staring at codex's all day again, I agreed in a low mumble, only lifting my hopes up a bit when Ezio thanked me with a kiss before he ran off to go help Mario with the mercenary training. Once again saddened at the thought that it was back to work already, I trudged inside of the Villa and headed up to Ezio's room, intent on getting some peace and quiet up in his room, for I needed all of the concentration I could get to unlock whatever secrets the codex pages held.

My spirits were lifted when I was able to decipher the first page with hardly any troubles and I thought that maybe this wouldn't be as hard as I had first thought. But then it was all crushed when I pulled out the next one, simply staring at it giving me a headache. I worked at it for a few hours before I grew frustrated and went downstairs to eat something. As I was taking my break, however, Ezio walked inside, saw that I wasn't working and immediately asked me to go back to the codex's, stressing that it was vital that whatever secrets they held needed to be known. Sighing loudly, I went back upstairs, already feeling all the stress pile upon me like a two-ton boulder.

To make things worse, after about a week of working on _the same_ one codex page, Claudia came clamoring up the ladder, her face red and wet from tears. Surprised, I put aside the codex for a moment and asked her what was wrong. She sat down and told me that her and Ofreo's relationship was getting a little rocky, he becoming skeptical of her feelings and she was pretty assured that he was seeing other women back in Batignano. She then surprised me further, as I rubbed her back to comfort her, when she asked me how Ezio and I had stayed together for so long. I told her that we had our moments too and then she randomly responded to that by saying, "I just need a girl friend. We should do something together."

"Claudia, I have work to do," I objected, gesturing towards the documents all over the desk.

"Please!" she cried, clasping her hands. "I think me talking about it will make this relationship work! Please, _please,_ Narina? I love Ofreo so much!"

Sighing loudly, I leaned back in my chair, reaching up and rubbing at my face. First the codex pages, and now the fate of Claudia's relationship was on my shoulders too. Not only that, but I knew Ezio would be in a bad mood if he saw Claudia this upset and if I didn't do as she asked, she would grow even more upset. Finally agreeing, she dragged me out of the Villa and took me on a horse ride.

* * *

I had to spend a lot of my precious time with Claudia over the next few weeks, giving her therapeutic horse riding sessions and whatever time I had left was to either work on the codex pages or sleep. Ezio was disappointed with how little I had gotten done and pleaded me to try and do more. Growing more impatient with everyone at that moment, I swallowed back my annoyances and promised him that I would try and work harder. Just when I thought things couldn't get any more hectic, balancing both the codex's and Claudia's romantic issues, Mario asked me to help rebuild the underground tunnels that had fallen in the last rain storm and not wanting to be rude, I told him I would get to it as soon as I was able.

It was basically hell the first week of dealing with all of my 'duties' but I found a system that gave me a little less push. I would wake up early and go down to help Mario with the tunnels, then I would spend the rest of the daylight hours staring over the pages and decoding whatever I could, and after dinner, I would follow Claudia to her room to talk to her about Ofreo. And it all worked for me, made it all manageable, although not less nerve wracking. The critiques that all of them gave me about my devotion to the cause really angered me but I somehow managed to bite it all back and continue with my order. I was getting used to it all anyway.

So it really surprised me one day when I was down in the tunnels, lifting a beam with the help of Mario, Claudia came down, frowning and clearly upset.

"Narina!" She demanded, making me look over my shoulder as I held the beam over my head.

"What is it?" I grumbled, straining the words in my concentration.

"I need you to give me advice on how I should react to Ofreo's answer to the question you told me to ask him."

"Claudia," I said through my teeth as Mario began to nail the beam in place. "I'm a little busy right now."

"_Please!_" The girl stressed, clamping her hands together and giving me the big doe eyes. "You haven't been spending near enough time with me! If you really cared about Ofreo and I, you would-."

"Narina, hold the beam steady!" Mario told me in a firm voice, Claudia's whines distracting me so that I had lost concentration on the work at hand.

"Give me a sec, Mario," I breathed, looking back at Claudia. "Look, Leonardo told me once that you can't base your love off of someone else—."

"Oh!" Claudia suddenly breathed, touching her face in exasperation. "That's the thing, how do I even know that I really love him! Narina!"

"Narina!" Mario yelled, the beam slipping from my hold.

As the wood clattered to ground, my last nerve snapped, more frayed then I ever realized and along with the loud noise of the crashing beam, I screamed. My fingers twisted up in my hair, pulling violently and my stomach flipped unpleasantly before I collapsed, falling to the ground like the beam before me.

And I broke down. I started crying, sobbing loudly, big, wet tears falling down my cheeks as my body shook violently. Before snot bubbles could start forming, I felt Mario's arm around my shoulders, standing me up and holding me to his chest. I kept my fists to my eyes, feeling suddenly helpless and weak, overwhelmed with so many emotions at one time. After another moment, I felt Claudia's small hand rubbing my shoulder as if it were an apology waiting to be accepted. Finally I pulled myself together to sniff, wipe at my nose, wet with tears and snot, before I said, "I'm going to go lay down." Then I pushed away from both of them, walking through what he had done of the tunnel and back around through the town to approach the Villa.

Ezio was in the round training yard, training with some mercenaries when I walked up the stairs. Not really wanting to deal with him, I tried to keep my face hidden as I walked past, reaching up and rubbing my face casual so he wouldn't see my red eyes and rosy cheeks. I managed to get past and not wanting to deal with _anyone_, I headed immediately for Ezio's room, planning on taking a nap or something to allow my frayed ends to mend themselves. Arriving in the room, I collapsed into the bed, face buried in the pillow. I didn't feel like crying anymore, my mood changing so very suddenly and I began to contemplate just what had come over me so suddenly.

I was very close to falling asleep, dipping into a serene pool of calmness that I hadn't bathed in forever, but then I felt a suddenly presence and I immediately rolled over. Ezio stood at the side of the bed, staring down at me. In an attempt to try and fool him, I yawned, pretending that I had just woken up from a nap. "Hey," I casually said, smiling softly.

There was actually no surprise in the fact that Ezio wasn't fooled—he had gotten noticeably perceptive the past few years. He sat down on the edge of the bed, putting one arm on the other side of me, surrounding me, before he leaned down and kissed me softly, pressing his forehead to mine. "Claudia told me," he elaborated, shifting around so that he was comfortably hovering over me. "What happened?"

Sighing, I reached up, taking a hold of his face. "It's nothing to worry about. I just had a moment; everyone has them."

"Mm." Ezio didn't seem convinced. "You only have your breakdowns from _me—_I know that by now. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes." Smiling, I pulled him closer and pressed my lips to his for a soft peck. "Maybe I just need a break. Claudia has been bugging me a lot and Mario has been making me work all day for the tunnels." I paused, realizing my mistake. "But don't worry, I could work on the codex pages while I'm taking a small break. I was looking at them this morning and..." I tried to sit up to get up and show him the pages, but then he pushed me back down, his hand landing on my forehead.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it," he whispered, smiling softly. "Take a nap. Clear your head. You can work tomorrow." As close as I was to objecting, I realized that all I really wanted _was_ to take a little break, so I nodded slowly. Ezio moved his hand from my head and pressed a kiss to my forehead, his fingers entwining with mine for a moment as he squeezed my hand. Then he stood up, his hand slipping from mine, winking at me before he climbed back down the ladder.

I waited a few moments before I followed him down, intent on going and getting something to eat so that I could take a nap being filled. Going to the kitchen to get something to eat was something I had grown accustomed to over the years—I was definitely a snack person. Eating some fruit and bread and finishing it off with some dried meat and a mug of ale, I made my way back up to Ezio's room, intent on relaxing. When I was laying down again, however, Claudia popped in through the square in the floor. "Narina?"

Knowing where she was going with this, I sighed and sat up, gazing upon her. "What?"

Climbing up so that she was standing in the room, she wrung her hands together, biting her lip. "I thought about what you said about the whole thing about love this morning and I think it has really helped me understand what I need to do with this whole situation. And I'm really sorry about earlier. My bleedings always make me moody."

"Ah." The mention of it reminded me that I was to expect my bleedings sometime soon and I knew how moods were swayed when the process came about. "Don't worry about it, Claudia. I just had a moment, that's all." Leaning back on my hands, I let my head fall to the side to rest on my shoulder. "What are you going to do about Ofreo, then?"

"Well, I think that I'm going to go and talk about it with _him—_talking to you wasn't doing anything, and then I realized that it was mine and his problem.

Smiling, I nodded. "There you go. When are you going to see him?"

"Sometime next week. Perhaps you could go with me?"

I could just imagine the make-up sex, so I shook my head 'no'. Claudia thanked me for whatever help and knowledge that I had given her and then she slipped back down the ladder. I knew that Claudia was pig-headed, especially when it came to me, so I felt like she was truly sorry saying that she was the one at fault, even if it had been something that was so natural. As I laid back down, though, I found myself thinking how I should be expecting my own mood-bending time to come soon and how I should have already had it around a week ago. I figured that I had never been exactly regular for years due to the many things that had affected my body, so I paid it no heed and rolled over to my side and fell asleep.

* * *

Work ensued the next day, seemingly ten times harder than before. I tried to catch up on my codex pages, Claudia went through what she wanted to say to Ofreo to me, and Mario had me finish up what he needed in the tunnel. By the time the next week rolled around, Claudia riding off to Batignano, the tunnels were finished and now all I had to do was try and finish up the pages to appease to Ezio. Without Claudia nor Mario to bug me all day, I had a lot of time to look over the pages, finally able to see things through the time that I had given myself. A few of them were new techniques and maneuvers that I knew Ezio would find valuable. If he hadn't been so busy practicing with the mercenaries, I would have brought them to his attention. But we had a long time and I figured I'd tell him whenever he got the time. Finally, things seemed to be working in favor of me.

But then it happened.

I felt sick one afternoon, my head suddenly spinning and I was no longer able to focus on the words on the codex pages. Rubbing my forehead, I blinked, trying to make everything settle. Ezio happened to clamor up into the room then, shedding himself of his armor. When he saw me, hunched over and holding my head, he immediately came over, squatting down to stare up at me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded slowly, my pulse pounding through my veins, looking at him for a moment before I reached down and pulled off his hood.. "Yeah. I just feel...sick." Then I stood up, pulling Ezio up with me. "I just need to go get something to eat and drink. I haven't taken a break today."

Finally accepting that, Ezio let go of me, flopped on his bed and rubbed his neck, which was covered in sweat. Finishing up the page I was on, I looked over to Ezio on the bed. "By the way, some of these codex pages give new fighting techniques that I think you should look at if you're not busy."

"Oh?" He held out his hand, and I automatically ruffled through all the papers on the desk to try and find the codex pages I was talking about, and then handing them to him.

"From the looks of them, they seem pretty easy and straightforward. I think you can learn them in no time at all."

He gazed over the pages as I slipped down through the hole. After I had stopped by the kitchen to stuff my face, I went to the wash room to splash some water on my face, hoping that would make me feel better too. With a towel pressed to my skin, I turned and found myself staring in the full length mirror against the wall. I looked like crap, dawned in baggy, shapeless clothes with my hair loosely pulled back, oily and dirty. Dark rings were under my eyes, making me look tired and somewhat ill. Frowning and deciding that it was due time for a bath anyway, I went to find one of the house maids to help me. Within the time it took to heat up the water and put it in the tub in the bathroom, I had gone out to town to buy some soap from one of the shops, wanting a new fresh scent to indulge myself in, and got back in time for the bath to still be warm.

When I stripped myself, however, I noticed in the mirror that I had gained some weight. Although it wasn't terribly noticeable, I could still see my belly packing on a few pounds, a little flab that I hadn't noticed before. I hadn't been eating that much lately—not any more than I had the years before. I found solitude in the fact that I had seen women much bigger before and I climbed into the tub, scrubbing myself clean.

* * *

Ezio was still laying in the bed when I climbed back up, and he was surprised to see me squeezing my own breasts, a frown on my face. One of his eyebrows raised, he tilted his head. "Are you trying to seduce me again?"

"No," I objected. "My boobs hurt."

A serious look came over Ezio's face and he sat up in the bed. "Wait, really?" He gestured me to walk over to him. "Come over here so I can massage them better."

Frowning even deeper, I walked back to the desk. "Don't be stupid. It's in the middle of the day—no fondling during the daytime."

Grinning ear to ear, Ezio leaned back in the bed. "That's a lie and we both know it." Ignoring him for the time being, I sat down at the desk and leaned over the codex pages again, letting my still wet hair drop around my shoulders. Seeing that I was letting the subject drop, Ezio rolled off of the bed and walked up and placed himself behind the chair I was in. "Are you feeling better? Didn't you say that you were feeling sick earlier?"

"Yeah, I'm better," I mumbled, his fingers tangling into my wet hair, pulling away the strands from my face. I felt his lips on the top of my head. "I don't know. I think something's wrong with me; my body is acting differently lately." Leaning back, I leaned my head back to stare up at Ezio over me. "I'm pretty sure that I'm getting fat."

Snorting, Ezio rolled his eyes. "No, you're not. You're far from being fat."

"But I'm putting on a few pounds," I pointed out, my hand touching my stomach absent-mindlessly. "And then I've been getting really bad headaches lately, I had that meltdown the other day, I've been feeling sick, and now my breasts hurt."

Ezio's fingers brushed against my temple, relaxing me in a sense. "Maybe you'll be bleeding here soon," he hummed.

Then all the relaxation was violently ripped away when his words sunk in. _My bleedings_. I had forgotten from the week before that it was already late...but now it was two weeks late. That couldn't mean...?

"Narina?" Ezio brought me out of my thoughts, obviously having felt me tense up.

I shook my head lightly, telling myself that my cycle would continue in a few days, considering that maybe it was the stress that messed with it—now that things were calm again, it would continue on. At least, I hoped so. "It's nothing, and you're probably right."

Ezio made a disgusting noise under his breath, moving away and flopping back onto the bed. I knew it always made him upset when I my monthly visitor stopped by because not only did it make me testy but we wouldn't ever have sex because...well, that should be self-explanatory. Shaking my head as if to clear my thoughts, I diverted my attention back to the codex page. Hopefully that visit would come within the next few days.

* * *

I leaned back against the wall, both of my hands rubbing my face. Not today either. How many days had I expected to find myself in the clear? Had it been four now? My stomach was twisting with sudden angst and worry, making me feel sick. Sighing, I let my hands fall back against my hair, latching onto the back of my neck as I leaned my head back against the wall. I couldn't be one hundred percent positive but the signs were pointing all in the same direction. I had to tell someone, didn't I?

Oh God! I couldn't tell Ezio! Knowing him and his lifestyle, wouldn't he be devastated? Mario wouldn't be able to help me and would probably make it more stressful for me. Claudia was gone but she would have probably made me freak out because her reaction would be much too dramatic. I guessed that left Maria, although I felt shy to go and tell her, like I had done wrong, or maybe that she wouldn't approve. But maybe she would be happy? Sad? Even excited? But wait, what if she got angry? I don't know why, but perhaps if she was able to be all of those other emotions, then maybe she could get mad. I choked on my own breath for a split second, making me gasp out and hold a nervous hand to my throat.

_Maybe I should wait another day_, I thought to myself, pushing up off of the wall. But no; now that I suspected it, I wouldn't be able to deal with it all by myself. Ezio should know, for he knew how to comfort me, but Maria...Maria would know what I should do.

Walking outside of the bathing room, I turned and walked up the stairs, heading towards Maria's room. Before I could get to the top of the stairs, though, my name was called out and I looked down. Ezio was staring up at me from the bottom, a smile on his face. "Hey, do you want to go to Florence? Volpe sent us a message saying he thinks he has something that can lead to more answers."

Just looking at him made my stomach flip, like I could already see him crumbling down. "Ah, um. Actually, no. I...I think I want to stay home."

Ezio's face fell and he took a step towards the stairs. "Is everything alright, Narina?" he asked, obviously seeing my distress.

"Yes!" I retreated up the stairs, somewhat scared of him all of a sudden. "I just want to stay home."

I could see that Ezio wasn't convinced and that he knew something was going on. "Then maybe I'll stay home until you're willing to go."

"No, that's fine." I walked along the upper level, keeping my gaze from Ezio. "You go ahead."

"Are you sure?"

"_Si_. Be careful."

"Well, alright. I'll be back tomorrow night."

I didn't watch him walk out for I slipped into Maria's room and closed the door softly behind me, not wanting Ezio to overhear. Maria was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, a book opened in her lap, but she was stitching together a torn shirt. She looked up and saw me, smiling briefly before going back to the shirt. "_Buon Giorno,_ Narina."

"Morning," I whispered, the butterflies in my stomach turning into something more intense like a fish out of water.

Without looking up, she said, "You didn't go with Ezio?"

"Maria, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure." When I didn't continue, she looked up at me, putting down the stitching she was doing. A concerned look overcame her face as she observed my slouched body and my eyes filled with worry and uncertainty. "Are you alright Narina?"

"Oh God, Maria," I muttered, sinking down to the floor, covering my face as I busted out in sobs. "I'm so scared!" I heard the book fall to the floor with a loud thud and then I was being pulled up into arms, dragged onto my own two feet like a toddler learning to walk.

"Shh," the mother cooed in my ear, leading me over to the bed. "Calm down, tell me what is wrong, dear."

I tried to calm down, stuff my sobs in my throat, but they just kept coming and coming when I thought about how in the world I was going to tell her. It wasn't necessarily the telling her that had me so worried—it was the fact of what would happen once she knew, once _everyone_ knew.

Finally I caught a hold of myself and wiped away the tears in my eyes, shaking my head slowly. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do," I mumbled, "and I thought you could help me."

She scooped my hands into hers, her thumbs pressing comfortingly against my skin. "What is the matter, then? Tell me so that I _can_ help you." Her gaze was filled with concern when I looked up at her, my bottom lip falling back into my mouth so that I could nibble upon it.

Sighing, I squeezed her hands back. "You know, out of all the years of being with your son, I never even considered that this could happen."

"Oh?"

"Maria, I think I might be pregnant," I said in a rush, looking up into her kind, brown eyes to gauge her reaction.

At first, it was shock, then in a split second, she contemplated what I had said and she gave me a concerned look. "How do you figure?"

"Well, my emotions have been all messed up lately, I've been eating a lot, I've gained some weight, I nap all the time, my head hurts a lot and now my bleedings are two weeks late." I felt my breath start to rush in the small panic that flooded me. "I don't know how I'm supposed to handle this!"

"First of all, you need to calm down," Maria suggested, holding my hands tighter. "You'll be fine—there's no way to tell this early if you really are pregnant or not. Besides, it is not always a bad thing, my dear. I was twenty-four when I had Federico and you are nearly thirty. Don't you think it's time you settled down?"

I thought about it for a moment, realizing that probably half my life was already over. "Well, yeah," I agreed, "but I don't think Ezio is ready for it."

Maria inclined her head as she took this into consideration but she surprised me when she started to shake her head. "Narina, I have watched him over the years, and although his younger days were spent inside women's skirts, I have seen him transform under your touch. You've changed him, and I'm sure he is ready. If not, then he can get ready." Maria dropped my hands and took a hold of a strand of hair that was laying across my forehead, tucking it behind my ear. "You're special enough to him that he'll adapt for you. Especially something like this." She paused, her hand dropping. "I'm guessing that you haven't told him?"

I shook my head no, a frog seemingly stuck in my throat.

"Ah." She stood from the bed. "You probably need to as soon as possible. You know he'd feel betrayed if you waited until it was completely obvious." Her sharp eyes on me, made me feel terrible for keeping my suspicions to myself and I bowed my head, ashamed.

"I'm not entirely sure," I reminded her in a whisper. "I don't want him to worry over nothing."

"But what if you really are?" Maria countered. "Then he should be allowed to prepare himself."

I couldn't come up with anything else to say, so I simply nodded. But I felt uneasy—even if Maria said that I was special to Ezio, never had I heard the reassuring words from him. And if I had changed him before, then how was something of this magnitude going to change him? Not wanting to know, but knowing that I was going to have to tell him, I thanked Maria for her time and excused myself to go take a nap—_another_ one.

* * *

I'm not sure how it happened, but when I woke up from my nap, Ezio was back. I guess he really did decide to wait for me because he said he felt bad for leaving me behind again. I found myself frozen in the door way of the dining room, staring wide eyed at Ezio who was leaning back in one of the chairs, eating an apple, his feet up on the table. Maria was on the other side, the book from earlier on the table and open as she was reading it.

For a split moment, I thought that maybe while I was sleeping, Maria had told Ezio about our 'situation' and I panicked, almost hyperventilating as I found myself stuck in one spot. Instead of passing out, I stared with wide eyes at Ezio who took a moment to notice me and when he did, he smiled softly.

"Hey, sleepy head," he greeted, making his mother turn to look at me with her dark gaze that I could already feel telling me to get this over with.

"W-what are you doing here?" I squeaked out, reaching out and taking a hold of the door frame. Maria stood up then, taking her book and walking out the room silently, passing me with a small, encouraging smile on her face. Trying to act normal, I paid her no heed and continued to stare at Ezio.

"I thought it would be rude to leave you behind again," he said casually, giving me the impression that Maria _hadn't_ told him, and that it was now all up to me. Taking a deep breath to try and stop my heart from thudding out of my chest, I walked over to the table, sitting on the opposite side of the table, now staring at the worn bottoms of Ezio's boots. Within the next moment or so, Ezio shifted so that he was sitting in a more civil matter, and he leaned on the table staring at me. "So," he hummed. "What's on your mind? You look a little miffed."

Folding my hands together, I stared at my thumbs pressing against my fingers, the pulse of my heartbeat echoing in my head. I knew that dragging this out would make it ten times worse than it had to be, so I mentally prepared myself for a few moments, staring intently into Ezio's eyes, which were growing more and more serious the more he realized that I was really having trouble with 'whatever was on my mind'. He reached out and took a hold of my hand, trying to comfort me. "Narina, what is—?"

"I'm pregnant," I blurted out, the words falling from my mouth as inevitably as vomit.

Ezio's facial expression didn't change. "What?"

"Well," I amended, "I _think_ that I might be, anyway. I'm not exactly sure, but your mother told me that I needed to tell you because—."

"With my child?" he asked suddenly, his brow furrowing.

My face fell into horror, and I stood up quickly, throwing away his hands. "**Yes, it's yours, you filthy pig!**" I snapped. "What kind of a girl do you think I am?" I caught a hold of myself again. "...If, I'm really pregnant, that is."

He stared up at me, and I couldn't seem to gauge his expression or how he was feeling. "You're not sure then?"

I shook my head. "It's too early to really tell. I just thought that...well, if I really am, that you needed to know. Just in case, you know?"

Ezio leaned back in his chair again, rubbing his face and I realized it looked like he was about to faint for a moment. I knew it—Ezio was devastated, his life of carefree notions suddenly ripped away with just a few simple words. Something inside of me twisted violently and I was positive that Ezio was going to throw me out on my own, tell me to leave so that he could continue his life as it was. With that, I also realized that things were going to change _a lot_. I pressed my lips together, feeling like I was about to cry, watching Ezio as he thought about it, stroking his stubbly chin.

"Well," he started slowly, leaning forward again. "Even if we don't know for sure yet, there's definitely the chance, so we should probably prepare by pacing ourselves accordingly to make sure we don't lose any ground until the baby is born." He stood up from the table, putting the core of the apple on the table for a maid to pick up later. "Such an inconvenient time, but it was bound to happen sooner or later." He caught my gaze then, seeing how close I was to the edge, he came around the table and pulled me into his arms, making me realize that Maria has spoken true and that he was going to stick to this—he was willing to change. "Let's not take any risks," he hummed into my hair, his arms tightening around my waist. "No more work for you until we figure out for sure."

"Ok-ay," I breathed, sobbing out the word into his chest, finally breaking.

He petted my hair comfortingly, kissing my forehead before he held me away. "Don't cry," he said, smiling softly. "If it means anything, I think you'll make a good mother."

That did mean something. For some reason, it meant everything to me. Laughing shakily, I threw my arms around his neck, kissing his jaw, wanting to thank him for not freaking out like I had. He hugged me back, lifting me up off of the ground before he let me back down, ruffling my hair. "Take it easy for a while," he said, smiling. "I need to go help Mario with the broken stables—broken by _your_ horse, might I point out." He muttered under his breath about Guido and I laughed, wiping at my eyes. I wasn't sure how it always surprised me to find out how reliable Ezio really could be.

* * *

I spent the rest of the day lazing around, something I had missed greatly. I managed to take about two more naps, read a couple of books (well, the first few chapters of a couple of books anyway), and reflect upon the whole pregnancy thing. The more I thought about it, the less it scared me and seeing Ezio be so calm and collected about it really helped me calm down. By the time I went down to eat dinner, I had accepted the whole thing completely, and was now trying to think of ways that we were going to have to deal with it—_if _I was even really pregnant. Mario and Ezio didn't make it for the meal and even when I went up to go to bed, they still weren't in. So I sat alone up in the room, one candle lit on the bed stand, sprawled out on the bed, a huge weight lifted from my shoulders, finally able to relax.

Absentmindedly, as I laid there, staring at the shadows the light from the candle produced flickering on the ceiling, I lifted up the bottom on my shirt and my fingertips began to trace small circles on my tummy. There was a big difference in the way I had felt that morning to the way I was feeling right then with the thought that something was growing inside of me. I smiled lightly, coming up with images of what the child would look like; a boy with beautiful brown eyes and a charming grin, a girl with the brightest blue eyes that would have little white flowers in her hair, both of them calling me 'mother'. Rolling to my side, I giggled at the thought, finding it more endearing now instead of scary.

"What's so funny?" I looked over my shoulder to see Ezio pulling himself up into the room, his hood over his face, but his smile still seen in the dim light.

"Nothing," I answered, rolling back over so I was on my back. "Just thinking." I sat up as Ezio kicked off his boots, unbuckled his bracers, and threw off his robes. Then he walked over to the bed, placing himself behind me and pulling me into his lap, his arms around my waist and his lips against my temple.

"How was your relaxing day?" he whispered, clear envy in his voice.

Laughing, I leaned back against his chest and put my hands on top of his. "It was very nice. I definitely needed it."

"Hm." He hands moved so that they were spread out along my tummy. "How do you feel?" He murmured.

"Better." I smiled, tracing small patterns on the backs of Ezio's hands. "I thought a lot about it today."

"Same with me," Ezio said. "You actually almost gave me a heart attack when you told me earlier."

"Really?" I was surprised. "You seemed so calm though."

Ezio leaned his head against mine. "I saw how upset you were," he explained, "and I knew that you would break down if you saw me panic. So I kept my wits and stayed calm."

We both fell silent then, Ezio's fingers pressing into my stomach softly as his warm breath fell against my neck. I turned my head slightly, my forehead rubbing against his cheek. "What do you think it's like?" I asked.

"What?"

"What it's like to be parents."

He took a moment to think about it, leaned back against the pillows and pulling me back with him. "It would be difficult and probably very stressful. But it would be fun at times, and very rewarding."

Giggling under my breath, I looked up at him. "Can you imagine littler versions of you running around? Oh God, I would die if I had to take care of more than one Ezio!" Getting suddenly giddy, I sat up, pulled away from Ezio's hold, then turned around and looked at him. "If we had a little boy, he'd be so handsome and charming; definitely a favorite of the ladies." I felt a small pout on my face. "I would do everything in my power so that he wouldn't gain his father's pigheadedness either."

A silly grin appeared on Ezio's face. "Hey, hey, now. We don't need to go there."

"And if we had a daughter," I continued, "you'd probably spoil her rotten! You'd give her anything she ever wanted just because you'd want her to love you."

"She'd be beautiful," Ezio calmly said, not letting my slight jibes get to him. "She'd have the biggest blue eyes and the cutest smile. Any man that would reach for her would get their fingers broken."

"Oh my." I grinned, raising my eyebrows. "So defensive."

Ezio smiled back at me, leaning forward and pressing his mouth to mine. "I have to keep my little girls safe," he murmured, and I knew that he was somewhat referring to me.

I pulled away from Ezio. "Maybe being a parent won't be so bad," I said slowly. "Sure, it'll have it's rocky bits, but..."

"We'll have each other," Ezio finished off, pressing a fingertip to my nose, a smile on his scarred lips. "We'll make it through somehow."

The silence that followed roughly reminded me of another factor though and I pulled away from Ezio's touch. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves; I might not even be pregnant."

His head bobbed up and down. "Right." Ezio then rolled over to put out the candle on the nightstand, telling me through the darkness that it was time to go to bed and get some rest, that he didn't want to risk my health right now. Pulling me to him in the dark, he took a hold of my shirt, lifting it up enough so it exposed my stomach and then I felt his lips on my skin, placing butterfly kisses to the spot right above my navel. Whispering his goodnight there, I curled up next to him as he settled down in his sleeping position.

* * *

My eyes popped open. It was still dark outside, the room only dimly lit from the shine of the stars and the moon low on the western horizon.

What was...?

Quickly, I sat up, knocking aside Ezio's arm that had curled around my waist. Throwing off the covers, I climbed over the half-awake Ezio, nearly falling off the bed, my feet plopping loudly against the wood floor. Before I was able to stumble down the hole in the floor, I heard Ezio grumbled an incoherent word under his breath before he mumbled "Narina? Where are you going?" I didn't answer him, for I dropped down into the hall, running as quick as I could down the twists and turns. I skidded over the walkway above Mario's office, dark and left for the night before I ran out into the front hall. The whole house was dark, everyone already asleep. Skipping stairs as I bolted down the stairs, I flew into the washing room to the right side of the hall.

The room was always lit from a candle in the room, one that was replaced daily so that wandering people in the night wouldn't stumble and fall into their own waste after their business. I pulled down my breeches, though it wasn't to relieve either my bowels or my bladder. Instead, I let my middle finger touch at my core, touching a thick liquid that had formed there. My heart was hammering in my head, making my body quiver with the sudden anxiety that tormented my being. Slowly, I lifted my hand up, into the enlightening power of the candle, and I stared at my finger blankly.

And then my legs gave out and I collapsed to the ground.

My bleedings had started. I wasn't pregnant.

Something had been torn violently out of me at the realization of it and I felt so empty and sad. It was all too obvious now—the stress was what was to blame for it all. It delayed my period in the first place, made me break down in my emotions. Stress caused me to eat a lot more and since I had been stuck doing codex pages all day, I had gained weight. Then the stress continued to eat at me, giving me head aches and making me continually tired. The blood being stored inside of me made me sick and gave me the signs of the menstrual cycle. It was all the god damn stress.

And right when I finally felt okay, finally sat back and accepted everything, my body relaxed enough that I continued my normal flow, ruining my new found dream of starting an already beloved family.

I slowly pushed myself up, rummaging in one of the baskets in the room to find a cloth that I could use, then placed it in my undergarments. From there I left the room in a haze, not quite feeling anything at the moment, heading back to bed so I could curl up, fall asleep, wake up and pretend that it had all been just a dream so I wouldn't have to face the fact that I thought I had been so close. Since it was dark, I didn't realize that Ezio had followed me downstairs until I ran into him, his arms automatically wrapping around me.

He didn't have to say anything. I raised my arms and wrapped them around his lean waist. "I'm not pregnant," I murmured. I felt his cheek lean against the top of my head and I knew that he automatically knew what I had discovered. We stood there for a moment, drinking in both the silence and the presence of each other, before I started to cry, burying my face into Ezio's bare chest. He cooed soft words to me, his large, strong hand cupping around the curve of my skull. "I was ready," I sobbed into his chest, trying my hardest to get a hold of myself. "I was so ready."

"Shh," Ezio hummed softly, rocking me in a slow motion. "This is all for the best, Narina. We're busy enough as it is this year. Having a baby would have made it even more difficult."

Although I knew that he was right, my sobs still banged against my throat and my tears continued to flow. "But it sounded all so nice," I gurgled, hiccuping in my emotional tirade.

His head moved from the top of mine and then his lips were pressed to my forehead. "It'll be okay. We'll finish all this hectic work, figuring out what the hell is going on and then when we are ready, we'll try for kids again someday."

Finally, I caught a hold of myself and pushed away a little bit, enough to reach up and wipe at my eyes. I stared up at Ezio through the tears in my eyes before I sniffed. "A kid with me?" I choked out.

Smiling, Ezio pulled me to him again, burying his face in my hair. "There's no other woman that I think I would want a family with." I felt his lips press against the lip of my ear. "I love you, Narina."

The words hit me like a bolt of lightning, just as quick and shocking. Then I started to cry again, this time for an emotion that was far beyond the reaches of happiness or sadness—something indescribable that I couldn't even begin to describe what plagued my body. As if moving on their own accord, my hands lifted up and took a hold of Ezio's neck and I lifted my head up to press my lips to Ezio's, a kiss that gave so much promises and wonders far beyond my comprehension at the point of time.

I'm not sure how long we were there, passionately kissing each other, until I noticed a light shining in my eyes. Pulling away from Ezio, I looked towards it, flinching from the brightness. Mario was standing next to us, a candle in his hand and a confused look on his face, worn and tired. "I heard crying, so I was worried," he explained, glancing from Ezio to me, back to Ezio. "Is everything alright?"

Smiling and wiping at my face, I nodded. "Yeah. Everything is fine." Then I laughed once, overwhelmed with all that was suddenly happening, and I hugged Ezio tightly. "Everything is absolutely fine."

Before Mario could slink back to his room, Maria was down by us too, and seeing our embrace and my tear-streaked cheeks, she drew me into a hug, kissing my cheek comfortingly.

"I told you he would change," she murmured only loud enough for me to hear before she pulled away, smiling and brushing the hair out of my face. I hugged her tightly again, thanking her softly before I made my withdraw, reaching out and taking a hold of Ezio's hand.

As Maria made her way back up the stairs, Ezio turned towards me. "Now that we know you're not with child," he mused softly, poking me in the tummy with his index finger. "Let's be adventurous and climb up on the Villa to watch the last of the stars disappear and then we can watch the sunrise instead of the sunset."

Smiling broadly, I threw myself at him, agreeing between giggles.

Not everything had to change and that was the way I liked it.

* * *

**Well, that was y'all's pregnancy stuff. Baby scares make me happy (sort of).  
**

**Oh, and the 'I love you's. **

**I was so worried that it was _still_ too soon to put it, but I put it anyway. *falls over* So I wanted things to change, yes, but I don't want to change what Ezio and Narina really are-kids at heart. That's why it would be so hard for them to be parents (despite how much they say they are 'ready' for it).**

**But alas, we do not know that for sure, do we?**

**Question of the Day: What kind of a dad do you think Ezio would be? (I still think he'd be one of those over protective dads if he ever had a little girl, the "daddy's little girl".)**

**Thanks for reading! :3  
Review! :D**

**_Thanks to HanashiNoSensu for betaing this beast!_  
**


	40. Jealousy

**-You all make me feel like a horrible person with your requests...*sighs* I cannot give you half of them.  
-Cloud Raithwall suggested that I make these chapters shorter, and that I am going to comply to.  
-This chapter was basically for fun and also marking one of the last "fights" that Ezio and Narina are really going to have. Yes, the ending is that close my friends.  
-I want to dedicate this chapter to my friend Angie. But she doesn't read this story anymore so I don't know why I am.  
**

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews!:  
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Akelz7 (for all of the reviews you gave me and also for talking to me about my story. :3)  
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Cc**

* * *

**Chapter 39: Jealousy**

The sun streamed through the windows with great vigor, lighting up the marble floor of the Villa immensely and I found myself mesmerized by the dust motes that floated within the beams of light. Although they were things of waste, dirty, they seemed to sparkle within the light, creating a facade that intrigued me immensely.

Then again, small things as such seemed to be the main point of my entertainment those days.

For the past two years, Ezio and I had continued life in the same fashion—searching out the codex pages, decoding them, and placing them up on the wall. I found myself staying home most of the time while Ezio left to go search out all of the cities in the northern Italian plains. Even if I did want to go, I ended up missing the departure because I would get distracted by simple things around the Villa.

Claudia had become a part of my interests as well—her and Ofreo had split two years before when they were having troubles. Even then, I was surprised to find that Claudia was mature enough to keep a friendship between the two of them and he occasionally he would come back to visit. I liked Ofreo, but that wasn't the point of Claudia's suddenly interesting matter. She had found a new 'boy-toy', as I liked to call him. My whole point of fascination with it was that Claudia had tried to keep it all a big secret. Ezio had caught them in the act, as I understood. He demanded that the flushed, stuttering, and clearly embarrassed Claudia to explain just what had happened.

Supposedly, Claudia simply didn't want anyone to know. Just when I thought for sure that Ezio was going to kill the man (named Lothario Mancuso da Fiamignano), I was shocked to find both of them eating in the dining room one day, grinning and laughing boisterously. As strange as it seemed to be, Ezio befriended the man, accepting him readily enough.

I, on the other hand, found something very strange with him and wasn't willing to let my judgment falter just yet.

* * *

Knocking on the door lightly, I invited myself into the architect room where Lothario and Ezio were visiting, sitting at Claudia's desk as she worked.

Ezio looked up at me. "Ah, Narina, there you are." His hair had grown out long again, much to my dismay and he had a new scar on the left side of his forehead from a training mishap that had nearly made me worry that he was going to die.

Giving all of them a brief hello, I held out a paper towards the casually dressed assassin. "This codex you brought from Forli says something funny," I mused.

"Oh?"

"Look here." I sat on the arm of the chair, pointing at the words scrawled on the paper. "'Opened eyes will see the truth and know that all is to be placed behind them. Forget the power and return to living.'" I paused, thinking over the words. "What do you think it means? To forget about the—" I stopped abruptly, looking up at Lothario who was staring at us with polite interest. "Uh, our certain treasure," I finished lowly.

Ezio gave the paper small consideration before he waved me away. "We'll look at it later."

My hands dropped to my lap in an exhausted and irritated manner. "Ezio, how are we supposed to figure this out if you don't do your fair share of investigation?"

"Narina, we have a guest," Ezio said in his defense, gesturing to Lothario. "Consider him being here will give us a little vacation."

"He's been here for two weeks," I objected, not shy to show him how I felt about him being here. "It's been great having him here and everything but we have work to do."

So certain was I that Ezio would see my point, sigh and give in. That's why I was shocked to see him wave his hand nonchalantly through the air as if to wave me off like a fly. "We'll do it later. The world isn't going to end anytime soon."

Disgruntled, I stood from the chair, glared at Ezio then stalked out of the room, feeling more irritated than a bee trying to fly through a closed window. The same buzz filtered through me, though, the anger coursing through my body as I stormed out of the Villa and down into the town. Ignoring the familiar voices of the merchants calling a friendly hello to me, I continued my way towards the gates. Even though I was intent on angrily riding Guido around the city, when I got to the stables, Jaufree was asleep and Guido was laying down in his stall, only one of his big, dark eyes staring up at me as I stood in the door of the stall.

When I sighed, a little bit of my anger was released and instead of waking up Jaufree from his nap and pulling up Guido from his nice bed, I walked into the stall, closed the latch door behind me and then laid down in the hay where Guido wasn't already taking up space. He must of sensed my distress for he extended his nose forward and nuzzled my arm that was laying near his head.

My mouth twisted up crookedly as he stared at me with his big eyes, his hot breaths puffing out of his great nostrils. "I don't know why I insist on loving the guy, Guido. He makes me so mad sometimes."

As if understanding my words, I could see that Guido knew I was talking about Ezio because his chest heaved greatly in a deep breath, before his ear laid back upon his head.

"Oh, let's not be like this, Guido," I hummed, reaching out and scratching his nose. "No one likes a sour attitude." I sat up, the hay falling from my body before I shook out my hair. The beast lifted his mighty head, deciding that he too was going to get up. Not wanting his strong limbs and large body to hurt me, I stood up and pressed myself up against the door, allowing Guido enough room so that he could stand up, shaking his head as his dark mane whipped in the air.

Reaching up and rubbing my forehead, I sighed and took a step towards Guido. "Thank God, I have you to vent to. Ezio and Claudia have been so enraptured with this Lothario guy that I haven't been able to spend any time with either of them the past few weeks." I stopped for a moment, dazing off into my own thoughts before I reached out and wrapped my arms around the horse's neck. "I don't even know why they're spending so much time with him. He's just a guy." Guido's heavy head leaned against mine as if he sensed my distress.

As my fingers stroked his coarse coat, I let my mind wonder as to how I could gain my so desired attention from Ezio and then it hit me. Smiling, I pushed away from Guido and kissed his nose. When I left the stables, a sense of giddiness overcame me as I thought out my plan, scheming on how to get my family back from this stranger.

* * *

On the dawn of the next day, I dragged the wooden tub from the wash room up into Ezio's room. The two boys had left at daybreak to train out in the courtyard. I guess that Lothario had been training in swordsmanship for about three years and he wanted Ezio to give him some pointers. Although I was bummed when I woke up alone, the spot that was usually warm next to me cooled and empty, I didn't let myself down because my plan would work out even better this way for Ezio's robes were still slung over the end of the bed.. I was more than willing to do it all myself, for I would have fruits for my labors, but one of the housing maids saw me heaving boiling water upstairs and she insisted on helping me. By the time the tub was halfway filled with the steaming water, I was grinning widely.

The woman helping me left the room quietly and I stripped myself bare before I slipped into the warm tub. Even if this had been a part of the plan, I found myself enjoying the bath nonetheless. I used the nicely smelled soaps to scrub my skin and some special lathering oil to rub through my hair. The warmth embracing me eased up my nerves and I nearly forgotten my scheme and I leaned my head back on the edge of the tub, my eyes closed in the sensation.

I heard footsteps from down below and I quickly sat up in the tub, staring at the square in the floor with wide-eyed interest. The smile had to be forced back when I saw Ezio's head pop up over the edge. He took a moment to assess me in the tub, my hair clinging to my neck and shoulders in wavy slabs, droplets placed all over my skin.

"Oh, Ezio," I said innocently, shifting around so that I was leaning forward on the tub edge, staring up at him as he stood up in the room. "There you are." I made sure my breasts were pressed up over the edge, trying to give my eyes a seductive gleam.

"_Buon Giorno_, Narina," he hummed, smiling sweetly at me. "Having a nice morning bath, I see."

"You can join me if you want, " smiling back at him with the same sweetness, intentionally licking my lips, staring up into his golden eyes with such intensity I knew that I had him in the bag.

So I was surprised when he turned away, reaching for his robes at the end of the bed. "No, it's okay. I'm going to head out to Florence with Lothario right now so he can visit his family there."

"What?" I let my seduction face drop into a state that was between confusion and anger. "You're leaving?"

"I'll be back tomorrow," he reasoned, his back still turned to me as he pulled on his robes. Almost in the same moment, he was climbing back down the hole.

"Hey!" I snapped, pushing myself up so that I was hanging over the edge of the tub. "Don't I even get a goodbye!"

He innocently looked back up at me. "Oh. Goodbye—see you tomorrow, _mi amore_." Then he was gone.

I seemed to be in shock for a long moment, staring at the vanishing point of where Ezio disappeared. Then the fury washed over me, almost as if I was sitting in a pool of rage and I screamed out loud, flying out of the tub and stomping around in my anger. My mushy insides and hardened nipples made the situation ten times worse and I threw on my clothes. How dare he regard me as if I was a simple whore? Leaving without even a proper goodbye to his so-called "_amore_". I went down to the kitchen first, to grab some food and other provisions for my so sudden trip. Furious and clearly pissed, I stormed out of the kitchen and into the main hall, my hair a wild wet mess and Claudia caught sight of me before she went into the architect room.

"Narina?" She questioned, seeing my anger.

"I'm leaving," I snapped, stopping by the door to pull on my boots.

"Leaving?" A concerned look washed over her face. "Leaving where? Are you sure?"

"Venice, and yes, I'm sure!" I growled back, walking out the front door and slamming it behind me. I was only walking down the stairs to the training ring when I realized that I was being irrational, so I turned around and saw Claudia in the door, staring at me wordlessly. "I'll be back in a within the week," I told her in a more calm voice. "I'm just tired of being here."

Slowly, she nodded. "Well, be careful then, I guess."

Nodding to her, I turned on my heel and continued on down through the city. Much like the day before, I found myself going to the stables, only this time, I was intent on leaving. Jaufree saw me coming and, judging from my purposeful walk, knew that I wanted Guido, so he pulled the horse out for me and began saddling him up.

"Where you headed to, Narina?" smiling at me despite my narrowed expression.

"_Venezia_," I said under my breath, patting Guido's strong neck. "I need to get away to clear my head."

"Why didn't you leave with _Ser_ Ezio then? He left not but less than an hour ago."

The anger once again flared within me at the mention of _his_ name. "He didn't invite me to go," I muttered darkly, reaching over to help the man tighten the straps.

"That's never stopped you before," he mused gently, still a smile on his face. This man had seen all my emotions throughout the years and it was surprising to realize that he was nearly used to all of them.

Finally, I was able to swing myself up into Guido's saddle and I looked down upon Jaufree. When had he become a man? I know I've mentioned it before, but it was strange to consider that this man had been that scrawny, jumpy boy who used to help me with the horses years and years ago. I knew him to be married to the baker down the street, and I idly wondered, as I stared into his dark eyes, if he had children of his own now.

"This time it's different," I answered almost too late.

"Oh, is it?" Grinning, he took a hold of the reigns and led me out of the stable area, towards the open road. "Now do me a favor and don't wait years to come home this time." He frowned suddenly. "_Ser_ Ezio almost tore my head off when he learned that I was the one to let you ride off the last time."

Somehow, his words made a smile creep up on my face. "That'll be no problem," I said with a laugh. "I'll be home within the week, I promise."

"Then ride safe."

With a smile and a nod to each other, I then tapped Guido's sides with my heels and I was off down the road, excited to finally get out and about, and more importantly, to be by myself and think things through. It was always nice to try something new right?

Wrong.

It hadn't occurred to me before, but by the time I had gotten to Florence and beyond the golden city, I realized that I had never been so utterly alone before. Sure, I had to ride the boat home from Palestine alone and even through the mountains alone, but then my heart had been set on home and I felt welcomed by the Italian landscape. Now, however, I had been home for years and the lands grew harsh and threatening, the real threat of bandits on the road stuffing a frog in my throat.

Even then, I pushed myself to ride up into the mountains, mentally panicking a few times when I thought for sure that I was lost, and then, when the sun was gone and the moon had risen far into the sky, I finally stopped and made camp.

I woke up early the next morning, roused by the chilled air and I decided to head out immediately.

It was probably around midday when I descended into the to valley that held Forli and I knew that I wanted to get out of the city as soon as possible. I rode down to the stables, swinging off of Guido, giving the stable man an exceptional amount of money to take good care of the horse. When I managed to get over to the docks, however, I was surprised to see the man at the boat turning everyone away. When I approached him, he held out his hand to stop me.

"Sorry, Ma'am," he said gruffly, his eyes flickering in recognition of my face. "The boat had been delayed due to storms."

"Storms?" I looked up to the skies, seeing the dark clouds hovering on the horizon, threatening to pour and also demolishing my get away plans. Growling, I twisted on my heel and stormed back towards the city, thinking of just heading back to Monteriggioni and calling it quits. But, being stubborn like a mule, I meandered through the city that I hated, determined to find a spot to simmer in my anger.

I found myself sitting on a stone bench near the main market in the northern part of the town. Everyone in the streets were bustling towards their homes or their inns, wanting to get away from the rain that was threatening to fall within the minute. With my right foot resting on my left knee and my arms folded tightly over my chest, I pouted at the stone street until the small drops of moisture began to drip from the sky, pelting the city. Only then did I stand, wrapping my arms around myself, before stalking in a sulk down the streets with the last few people who were braving the weather. I had decided to go sit in the stables with Guido who seemed to be my only friend at the moment, but when I walked out the front gates, I stopped.

A woman was standing by the stables, her arms folded and her glare on the mucky countryside.

"Caterina?" I whispered, then suddenly realizing that I didn't want to see her, I turned on my heel to walk back in the town.

"Narina?"

Shit. Slowly I turned back around, smiling softly. She seemed genuinely pleased to see me, like she was happy that I was able to take her thoughts off of whatever she had been thinking about.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ah, you know." I shrugged. "Waiting for the boat to _Venezia_."

She looked around briefly. "Where is Ezio?"

Avoiding the question, I lifted a hand to my brow. "Let's get out of the rain—I hate this weather." She quickly agreed, telling me to follow her as she lead me back into the town and in the direction of what I knew to be her home. When we walked in, there was a flurry of housemaids welcoming her back,offering her new, dryer clothes and ushering us up into her house, to a small room that had comfy chairs and bookcases surrounding the edges of the room.

"So," she mused, sitting on the edge of a chair, staring intently at me, "what brings you to _Venezia_?"

"I need a small vacation," I explained, sitting in one of the chairs too, leaning back into the plush cushions.

Her brow raised a fraction. "Without Ezio?"

I avoided the question again. "When I leave for Venice, can I ask you to take special care of my horse for me? He's dear to me."

She nodded. "Of course." She leaned back in her chair, folding her hands together. "What girl did Ezio fuck this time?"

Finally, I gave in. "No, it wasn't a girl. It's a guy."

The look on Caterina's face was hilarious, her brow furrowing and her mouth dipping into a deep frown. "I never knew Ezio leaned that way," she said calmly despite her reaction.

I couldn't help but smile. "I didn't mean it that way." I started from the beginning, telling her about Claudia and Ofreo, and then the story about how Lothario came about. When I started to get into the details of how Claudia and Lothario's relationship seemed strange, thunder rolled out in the air outside, lightening flashing through the sky. The more I talked about the whole ordeal, the more I found myself rambling, expressing myself fully with telling of the story. Despite the loud rain pelting against the glass windows, Caterina listened carefully, regarding me quietly.

Finally, with a sigh, I finished the story, and leaned back further in the chair. "I've never felt so uneasy about a friendship before," I murmured.

Caterina quietly stared at me, her foot tapping in her consideration. Slowly, she sat up straight, her hand reaching up and brushing away a stray strand of hair. "If what you tell me is true," she started steadily, "to me it sounds like he's running off to some woman."

I looked up sharply. "What?"

She held up her hands in defense, a strange look on her face. "You described him as being absentminded and edgy. Narina, there's a woman involved."

I didn't want to believe it. "How are you so sure?" I said skeptically.

A cold laugh busted through her lips, and she shook her head in slight anger. "You don't know who my husband is, do you?" She leaned back again. "You said he didn't get mad at Claudia for keeping her relationship a secret. Maybe it's because he has his own secret."

I stood straight, anger flashing through me. "Ezio wouldn't do that." I groped my mind for any excuse. "He...he told me he loved me!"

One of the perfectly arched brows lifted again. "What does that have to do with anything? He told you that he loved you back when you died here and yet that didn't stop him from drowning himself in me."

I'm not sure what surprised me more; the fact that he admitted his love earlier or the fact that he fucked Caterina even after that. When I didn't say anything, my mind reeling in both anger and shock, Caterina stood up. "Look, I may be wrong, but you need to be wary. Perhaps Ezio's intentions aren't as clear as you thought." She gestured to the door. "The storm has passed. You mustn't miss your boat now."

As the boat began to creak away, Caterina standing on the docks waving goodbye to me, I began to feel bad for imposing on Caterina and also for not taking the time to ask her why she was so upset when I saw her at the stables. The sea had turned a murky gray, the rain having kicked up dirt. The clouds were still high up in the sky, but beams of sun were darting through the folds of the clouds, lighting up splotches of the sea so that I could watch the choppy waves. Since the deck was wet from the storm, many of the passengers had already gone down below deck and after Forli was far enough away that I couldn't make out the individual buildings, I did too.

* * *

By the time I got off of the boat and walked down into the Venice streets, smelly and crowded, the sun had already set and the moon was out, behind the streams of clouds left in the sky. I almost found myself lost. It had been forever since I had been in the city, so I wandered around aimlessly for a moment before I recognized my surroundings and headed towards Leonardo's that was nearby.

After I had knocked twice and walked into the building, I looked around briefly until I saw Leonardo sitting at the hearth, his cap clutched in his fist and his head leaned back against the chair. He looked almost blissful and I felt my head tilt in wonder. Just then, he must have sensed my presence, for he whipped his gaze up to me.

"Ah, Narina!" He quickly stood, putting his red cap back on. As he hugged me, he almost seemed embarrassed about being caught in such a vulnerable position. "It's good to see you!" he gushed, smiling at me.

"Yes, it's good to see you too." I looked around again. "Did I catch you at a bad time...?"

"Ah! Goodness, no!" He ushered me over to the fire to sit in the spot he was just sitting at. "I was just thinking. Are you hungry?" He stood straight, about to walk away, but then he froze, raising a brow as if he just realized something. "Where's Ezio?"

"Not here. I came by myself."

"Are you running away again?" Leonardo shifted uncomfortably as he stared down at me.

"No," I said quickly in defense, and then my eyes shifted to a figure that I spotted standing near the door to the back rooms. It was a young man that I've seen around the shop before—I guessed it was Leonardo's assistant. I never seen him staring back at me, though. "Who is this, Leonardo?" I asked, making the artist turn around quickly to stare at the man with me.

"Nobody!" Leonardo said quickly, almost too quickly, making me look up at Leonardo in confusion. The artist was suddenly seizing me by the arm, dragging me up from the chair. "Hey, Narina, Antonio said something about talking to you and Ezio the other day, so why don't you go run over there."I found myself standing outside in the darkening Venice streets. " I'm afraid I'm busy at the moment."

"But I—."

"I'll talk to you later, Narina!" The door slammed in my face, only giving me enough time to take in Leonardo's smile before I was alone in the dark.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the door blankly before I sighed, reached up and pinched the bridge of my nose, suddenly annoyed. Huffing loudly, I turned on my heel and headed towards the Seta building. I regretted not bringing a cloak of some kind considering it was suddenly chilly, the air still damp from the earlier storm and the cold night air swirling about me, causing a shudder to bolt through me. I quickened my pace when I saw the familiar building, hugging myself.

One of the thieves out in the front court yard caught me before I could walk in the door and told me that Antonio was out. Growling out in even more annoyance, I continued inside, intent on sleeping in my usual room until the morning when I could visit with everybody.

As I walked up the stairs to the spare room, however, I heard strange noises. I stopped in the hall and cocked my head to the side, trying to focus on the noise. It was a breathy voice, very familiar—Rosa's I realized a moment later and I followed it to a room, hoping that she would be able to talk me through my irritation and scared feelings. I swung open the door which had been opened a crack, and was met immediately with screams and curses. It took me a moment to realize it, but I had just walked in on Rosa having sex with...Good Lord, was that Ugo?

My groan outdid any of their stumbling and embarrassed words. "Come on! Why does it have to be on the same day that I find out everybody's secrets?" Without a second glance to the blubbering lovers, I turned out of the room, went to the spare room, and crashed into the bed, thinking about all the things I had come to learn in one simple day.

First, there is the apparent chance that Ezio is having a secret affair. Second, Leonardo liked his lovers to be...manly. Third, Rosa and Ugo were finally banging—for how long, I didn't know.

* * *

The next morning, I gruffly picked at my breakfast meal, ignoring the looks that both Ugo and Rosa were throwing at me. They told me that Antonio would be out for a few days, having gone to the main land for business, so I would have to wait at the Seta until they got back.

"So, why are you here without Ezio?" Rosa asked in a forced-normal voice.

"Are you running away again?"Ugo pointed out.

"No!" I snapped, glaring at him. "I'm not running!"

Rosa brought me back from hurting Ugo. "Then why are you here?"

Now that I was irritated, it seemed more easy to tell my story. I enunciated the points that made me angry and when I got to the Caterina part, I was basically shouting. It seemed unbelievable at first, the whole Ezio involving himself in another woman but the more that I thought about it, the more it seemed to be probable.

"I don't want to believe it," I said to finish it off. "But it makes sense! There's no other explanation why he would be so willing to spend so much time with this Lothario guy and leave me high and dry." I rubbed my face. "He must be sleeping with the guy's sister or something."

Ugo rolled his eyes at me, shoving at his plate and standing up from the small table. "Ezio likes his sex, Narina but I don't think he'd do something like that."

My shoulders slumped. "I know...but I can't help but feel...well, jealous."

"It sounds like you're not jealous about a girl," Rosa pointed out, resting her head in her hand as she calmly stared at me. "It sounds like you're jealous of this Lothario."

I gave her one of my annoyed looks. "Why would I be jealous of him? He's a guy—Ezio doesn't sleep with guys."

"No, no, you idiot," Rosa spat. "You're jealous because Ezio has found a new best friend." I felt myself freeze. "You may still be his lover, but you're not his best friend anymore."

I felt my head shaking, a smile on my lips. "That's just plain...that's..." Then my face fell, and I stared blankly at the table top. I never considered that before—Lothario being a best friend candidate for Ezio. It hit me then that I _was_ jealous of Lothario. Ezio had been my best friend for as long as I can remember; he's always been by my side whenever he could be, he's taken care of me, and we got through everything and anything together. Did that change when Lothario came around? I took the fact that I just traveled by myself all the way to Venice as a yes, it did change.

Ezio had found a new best friend.

Sighing and leaning back in my chair, I let my head fall against the back of the chair. "I don't believe it," I whispered, frowning. "I never thought Ezio would just..." I paused, sitting up again. "I don't know."

Rosa smiled comfortingly at me. "It doesn't mean you're not special to him anymore. I mean, you're still his friend—a friend with great benefits!"

My gaze was hard when I looked at her. "I'm stingy when it comes to Ezio," I muttered. "I don't like to share him."

"But if you're being fair, you have to," Ugo pointed out, shifting around on his feet. "He's one of the main Assassin's and you'll get nowhere if you cling to him."

Frowning, I slowly nodded. "I know. I just..." I shook my head. "I've never been jealous of a man before. It's weird." Sighing, I folded my arms on the table and leaned my head on them.

Rosa and Ugo glanced at each other. "Hey, we can cheer you up! We'll—."

"No," I objected immediately, finding a bit of myself to grin at Rosa. "I don't want to have a threesome with you two." The young woman's face lit up in embarrassment as Ugo scowled at me. "You know, I don't think I've heard Rosa yell so loud since the time she had an arrow through her leg." Laughing, I pushed up from the table. Ugo seemed as though he was about to hit me, so I innocently shrugged. "Payback is a bitch, eh Ugo? Let me ask you something—how long has the sex been going on?"

"None of your business!" Ugo snapped, glaring at me.

Remembering the way Ugo teased me years and years ago, I turned to Rosa, smirked and said, "So, how was his cock?"

"Okay, that's enough, I get it!" Ugo intervened from Rosa's wide eyed embarrassment. "Let's go, now, and stop talking."

* * *

We spent the day running across the rooftops for Ugo to tell his boys to scout the city for some random reason, and the rest of it, we ended up 'borrowing' a gondola from a sleeping Venetian. As Ugo pushed us through the canals, Rosa and I lounged comfortingly in the boat, relaxing to the rock of the waves in the water that tilted through the gondola. We spoke no more of Ezio or even the embarrassment of the night before, and in the warm sunshine and the sound of the lapping water all around me, I found myself forgetting the main reason of my irritation. When most of the day had passed, we docked the boat at a low incline that led up to the streets and walked through the city, stopping by the markets to buy food and other useless things for our simple amusement. The remaining daylight hours were spent at the Seta building—while I lounged around with some of the other thieves, Rosa and Ugo disappeared and I only figured it was time for their daily dose of some good lovin'. I tried to understand their needs as I had them with Ezio before but I couldn't help but feel utterly lonely as I watched the thieves spar in the courtyard, all of them drinking wine and becoming too boisterous for my liking. Before the sun completely disappeared, I went inside, drank my own fair share of wine before I cuddled in bed, my brain hazy and my senses dulled.

* * *

A snake was wrapping around my mid-section, slowly as if not to startle me. Immediately my mind went to the drunk men outside and I felt my stomach drop at the thought of them coming into my room to have their way with me.

"Back off!" I snapped, rolling around in the bed to kick at the tall figure at the side of my bed. Whoever it was grabbed a hold of my ankle, and held it firmly so that I couldn't kick it again. Before I could even consider it, my other foot was seized and I felt suddenly trapped. I was about to scream out loud for help when the figure bent over me.

"Narina, calm down. It's me."

That voice! Immediately, I stopped struggling and narrowed my eyes against the darkness, trying to peer through the impenetrable curtain of night. Absentmindedly, my hand reached forward in the dark and met the strong jaw of the man hovering over me.

"Oh," I heard myself say lamely before my legs were let go. "_Salute_, Ezio."

As he settled himself at the edge of the bed, my eyes adjusted to the moonlight streaming through the window so that I could see the white of his robe and the glinting gold of his eyes. I pushed myself up in a sitting position, yawned, rubbed my eyes, and stretched. "What are you doing here?" I mumbled.

"Me?" Ezio sounded annoyed and yet so relieved at the same time. He must of thought that I had run away again too. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Visiting Venice," I said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Why couldn't you have waited until I came back?" he shot back at me. "I was worried sick that I would find you murdered somewhere along the way."

"I can take care of myself," I mumbled, rolling over and curling up in a ball. "Besides, you've been so enraptured with Lothario that I was sure you wouldn't notice that I was even gone."

There was a short pause. "Narina, what are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about." I sat up, turning to look at him. "Ever since Lothario started visiting, you haven't even looked at me twice. Even when I tried to seduce you in the tub, you just looked at me like...like...well, not the way you would have normally if I was naked in a bath."

He shook his head slowly as he stared intently at me. His eyes flashed, and he tilted his head in such a way like an absurd thought ran through his head. "Are you jealous?" he whispered.

Pouting, I lowered my gaze. "Yes, I am." It wasn't the same jealously that we normally dealt with, but it was jealously.

"What for?" Ezio whispered, his fingers finding my hand to softly trace my knuckles.

I wanted to hit myself because I felt sudden tears in my eyes, and when I tried to blink them back, they fell over instead, making me raise my forearm to my eyes. Although I didn't know why I was crying, I blubbered out a low, "You've always been my best friend. It hurts to see you find someone else to call _your_ best friend."

My arm was moved aside and I found myself in Ezio's embrace, my head held against his shoulder. I was surprised to feel his broad frame under me shaking with the chuckles that brushed warmly against my ear. "Ah, Narina, Narina, Narina...how adorable you are when you're jealous over me."

The anger that had been bothering me the past few days came back and I tried to push away from him. "You're not supposed to laugh at me!" I snapped bitterly, Ezio's hold, however, prevented me from getting away from him.

He somehow managed to pull me to him again, his warmth making the anger slightly subside. "I'm sorry," he chuckled, pressing his face into my hair. "I really am. The only reason that I spend so much time with Lothario is that he has the same interests as I do and because of that, I'm really excited about him and Claudia being together. Ofreo was nice, but he wasn't as enthusiastic about the things that I found interesting." He paused, letting me take in what he was saying. "Narina, it's been fourteen years since I have had a brother figure to hang out with."

That was a punch to my stomach. It was true that I had never really been a sibling to Ezio and even if I had been, it was years and years ago. A feeling a dread overcame me as I realized how foolish I had been and how selfish I was. If that was what a best friend to Ezio was, someone who reminded the Assassin of his long lost brothers, then who was I to whine and moan about it? My fingers curled into fists, clenching his robes tightly as I sighed lowly.

" I see," I whispered. "Then I should be the one who's sorry."

Ezio was laughing again, holdings me at arms length. His golden eyes were melting pools of warm liquid, his grin visible even in the dim light. "You don't have to sound so sad."He leaned forward and kissed me softly. "You should know by now that you'll always be my best friend, Narina. No matter what."

That caused a smile to spread on my lips, and even though I still had my doubts, the worry melted away for the time being. Pulling on the front of his robes, I dragged him down on the bed with me, curling against his chest. He shuffled around a bit, and then I heard the sound of his leather boots thudding against the wooden floor. A rather large sigh pushed through his lips, and he muttered something about a long trip.

Then I realized that he was here at a rather surprising time—he should have been here at least by tomorrow by the traveling time...

"I didn't stop once," he mumbled, his hot breath fanning against my face. "The only sleep I got was two hours on the boat ride over. I couldn't sleep much because I was afraid that you wouldn't be here when I arrived."

Knowing that I should have felt bad about that, I pushed it all aside and snuggled into the crook of his neck. I managed a low 'sorry' in between soft giggles. The thought of him being restless over my safety overrode the guilt for the moment, and I knew that it was selfish and even a tad bit creepy, but at the moment, I couldn't care less. I had my best friend back.

I kissed his throat. "Did you know that Rosa and Ugo are having sex now?"

"Really?" He laughed briefly. "Not surprising. How do you know?"

"Well, aside from the loud screams in the middle of the night," I mused with a smile, "I walked in on them."

"Gross."

"I know. Saw the whole set up and everything."

We laid there for a long moment in each others embrace and when I was sure that he was asleep, he stirred until I felt his scarred lips at my ear.

"I promise the next time that you try to seduce me, I'll respond to it."

Giggling, I nodded. "I'll hold you to that."

A small silence.

"Can I ask you to please try and seduce me?" he whispered hoarsely, desire thick in his voice. "Right now would be nice."

His large, warm hands helped me sit up and place me upon his hips, holding me to his rock hard body. When I tried to pout down at him, I could only smile instead. "It's not fair if you're already responding when I start," I pointed out.

"Hmm." His fingers thrummed along my hips. "Let's just have sex then."

A shrug rippled through my shoulders. "Fine. But next time I seduce you. No if, and or buts about it!"

"Deal."

* * *

Ezio woke me up with a shower of kisses on my face, making me groan and roll away from him. I was too tired to deal with him.

"Narina, wake up. I have a surprise for you."

A thousand things came to mind of what he could be meaning with that but I finally convinced myself to look up at him through the morning light streaming into the room and brightening his face, setting his eyes a blaze.

"What?" I mumbled, blinking lazily at him.

"When I went to Florence, I found something that I thought you might like." He leaned away, his hand reaching over the side of the bed to reach down to his discarded robes. "I know it's not the same as the original," he said, "but I thought that maybe it would be nice to get anyway." He then turned towards me again, holding up something in his hand that dangled in the light.

Rubbing my eyes and sitting up, I mumbled "What is it?"

"It's a necklace," he mused, his voice honeyed with amusement. "It looks like Federico's. Well, a little bit, at least."

Quickly, I assessed what he was holding in his hand again, focusing on the golden chain before my eyes locked on the silver pendent, engraved with beautiful Florentine designs and lined with golden metal work. A small diamond was placed in the middle.

My gaze adverted to his face, back to the necklace, then back to him again. The words failed to come to me for a moment before I shook my head. "I...it...does look like Federico's." I reached out for it, touching the golden chain. "It...looks expensive," I finished, trying to distance myself from it.

Ezio shrugged nonchalantly, one arm behind his head as he relaxed against the pillows. "Of course it was, but it was something that I couldn't pass up. Besides, you always loved that necklace." Ezio reached forward then, clasping the necklace around my neck, allowing the pendent to rest against my collar bone. The metal was cold, making me feel guilty. "Honestly," Ezio murmured, his fingers fiddling with the chain, "I was always annoyed with how much you cherished the necklace. Sure, it was Federico's, but you hardly knew him and yet you had something to remember him by. I had nothing." He frowned. "And even though he was gone, you always seemed more infatuated with him than you were with me."

I tilted my head at him. "You were jealous?"

He gave me a half shrug, only one of his shoulders lifting. "I guess so."

Slowly, a smile spread along my lips, my fingers picking the oval pendent from my skin as I looked down at it. "So is this necklace supposed to remind me how selfish we are towards each other?"

I saw the corners of his mouth twitch. "Perhaps how we don't like to share each other."

I dropped the necklace and reached forward, entangling my hands with his. "Thank you." For some reason, knowing our obsessive manners made me feel somewhat better about everything, like I didn't have to worry anymore. He smiled and winked at me, leaning forward to kiss me before he leaned back against the pillows.

"Let's go back to sleep," he mumbled. "I feel like I haven't slept for days."

I wasn't about to argue with that for I loved my sleep. I sprawled myself across Ezio's chest, his fingers running through my wavy hair, catching every so often on the tangled knots. For the first time in weeks, I found myself content in the thought that Ezio was all mine for the time being, and I snuggled deeper into his embrace before I fell asleep.

* * *

**So, there you go.  
Short enough—probably not. I find it hard to write short chapters for some reason. :S Sorry...**

**I have a new poll on my profile, and I think you all should take a look at it because I'd be really interested in your guy's opinions! :D**

**Ahem.  
Anyway, half of my summer is gone, and I am severely depressed about it. Gah. How many days have I wasted now? Well, a lot.**

**Please review! :3  
And thanks for reading!**

_**Thanks for being an amazing Beta, HanashiNoSensu, and I give you all of my concern in hopes that things will become better!  
**_


	41. The Vow

**-So, wow. I've been planning this chapter for ages now. *laughs * And yet it took me forever to write!  
-I'm back in school again. Started last week. I meant to have this chapter out last Monday, but things didn't work out quite right, so I hope you'll forgive me! (I'm finally a senior...hell yeah.)**

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**Chapter 40: The Vow**

(_Four Years Later_)

So high in the sky, the stars seemed to wink at me as I stared lazily up at them, leaning against the windowpane and letting the warm autumn night air dip into the room. My hands rested upon the closed cover of a book I had been reading. How long had it been since I started staring at the exact patterns in the sky? Had it really been eighteen years? Slowly, I lifted my head and turned to look back into the room, back at the man sitting at the desk, his profile lit up by the dimly burning candle. The gold in his eyes seemed to slip away with his youth, although they never failed to obtain their own glow no matter how little or how much light there was. With much begging on my part, his dark hair was short again and his robes were loosely hanging open thanks to my prying hands. If he had not insisted that he needed to finish the papers for supplies shipped into Monteriggioni, I would have had my way.

I turned back to the stars, staring up at them with wide eyes and trying to imagine what it would be like to reach out and grab them. My tongue ran over my lips, wetting them, before I started to talk, remembering an earlier conversation from the day. "Ezio?"

He grumbled a response, obviously having a hard day what with all the water damage from the last summer storm. Homes had been ruined in both town and the countryside, almost ruining crops. There was also the fact that our enemy's men had been harassing us here at Monteriggioni for a long while now, trying to retrieve the treasure that Ezio kept hidden in a place that even I knew naught.

"When did you say we were going to head over to Venice?" I asked as I turned so that I was sitting upon the windowsill.

His gold eyes flashed at me. "Sometime this month, probably. I don't know for sure." He straightened in his chair, putting his quill aside, obviously done with work for the time being. "I'm hesitant to leave Monteriggioni unprotected but I feel as though these Assassin's tombs are a part of the puzzle we need to figure out."

I nodded. We had already hit all the tombs here in Tuscany—according to the documents that Tamair had given me, there were two in Venice; the last two until we unlocked that god-forsaken armor. Whenever I had gone down into the sanctuary and looked upon the Grand Master's statue in all of its glory, I couldn't help but feel as though he was expecting to see me. I felt as though he knew me but then I just laughed at the thought that I was contemplating that a _statue—_a figure of stone—could actually know me.

"It's pretty nice armor—only fit for the best of the Assassins." I smiled when Ezio raised a brow at me, a lopsided grin appearing on his face.

"Is that tone you're using implying that I am not worthy of it?"

Shrugging, I pushed myself up and walked to the desk. "I wasn't saying that but I would like it if you proved it to me anyway." Placing my hands on the desk, I leaned over, smiling, eye-to-eye with Ezio. A chuckle hummed from his throat and he stood up, pushing his chair back, leaning over the desk too. His lips met mine; astounding me. Despite how many years I spent kissing those scarred lips it still surprised me how it made me feel. Slowly, I reached forward and ran my fingers across his exposed chest, warm and hard like silk over iron, attempting to pull his robes open more.

I was sure that I knew where this was going. Much to my surprise, and displeasure, however, I heard Ezio's name shouted from downstairs by a distressed Mario. Pulling away from the kiss, Ezio immediately swooped around the desk, sensing the urgency. I too put aside my desires and followed the Assassin down the ladder. Mario intercepted us near the entryway to the hallway, his eyes wide and a paper in his shaking hand.

"Florence is under attack," he breathed, twisting on his heel to lead Ezio down the stairs. "Lorenzo de Medici has sent us a message to come help him quell the rebellions that have sprouted within the city. No doubt our enemies are behind it in an attempt to break apart the Florentine government once more and gain power."

"We should leave immediately then," Ezio stopped and turned on his heel as if to return to the room to grab his weapons and armor.

Before I could follow, Mario stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. "Narina, I need to ask you to stay here." Before I could object, he held up his hand, telling me that there would be no argument. "We may need to send for more assistance later," he explained. "If it comes to that, I want you to lead them to the city. Alright?"

Although I wanted to disagree and go with them now, I knew my responsibility and nodded. "Of course. How will I know if you need help?"

"_Firenze_ isn't too far away," Mario hummed, sweeping me into his office. "We'll send a messenger if things are getting rough."

"It'll take us around eight hours to get back to you then!" I objected, trying one last time to hop onto this battlewagon.

Mario threw me a grin. "Not if you run your horses like hell. Do you think you could do that to your horse? I know you like to pamper him."

A little swell of pride built within me as I thought of my large chestnut stallion with his strong legs and muscled body and I lifted my chin a little. "Guido can do anything," I gloated lightly.

"Then you'll be able to get there in two hours, not four." Mario gathered his weapons from his desk one by one, strapping them on. "Wait for the message—this battle may be won within an hour."

A little more reluctant this time, I nodded again. "Fine. But if you're not back by morning, I'm riding out."

"Fair enough." Both of our gazes shifted to the walkway above where Ezio had come to stand. "_Molto bene, nipote_," Mario hummed in response. "Meet me down at the stables with some of the men and we'll be on our way."

I followed Mario out to the main hall where I waited for Ezio to come down the stairs. His eyes locked on me as I approached him where he stood on the bottom step.

"Be careful," I told him in a stern voice, trying to hide my concern. "If you come back maimed, I will be very upset with you."

"I'll be careful, then." Ezio reached for me and lifted me into his arms, kissing me softly. "If it ends up with you having to come to the battle, I want you to be careful too." He let me down to the ground again. "I left some of my own weapons upstairs just in case if you need to use them."

"My fingers are my weapons, Ezio," I reminded him, reaching up and pinching his neck muscle, making him flinch away. "I've no need for blades."

Ezio frowned at me, his fingers pulling out one of the daggers strapped to his belt. "Take this just in case. It'll put my mind at ease a little bit."

"Fine." I took the knife and twirled it in my hand, letting the blade rest against my forearm. I looked back up to Ezio. "Don't do anything reckless."

"Without you?" Ezio caressed my cheeks with his fingertips. "Never."

All too soon, reality crept back in and Ezio's hand dropped. With brief nods to each other, our hands briefly tangled together and the hooded man bade me goodbye with a soft kiss to my forehead. Then he simply turned on his heel and left out the front door.

I only waited a moment before I headed upstairs, wanting to get my sleep before I could be called to battle.

* * *

Some hours later something woke me up far before the morning sun appeared above the mountains. An unsettling feeling overcame me, biding me to get out of bed. Something was not right.

Quickly, I rose and put on my battle clothes and armor, things I had not worn in what seemed like forever. As I strapped my boots tighter, I found my eyes looking to the bedside table. The dagger Ezio had given me was there and I felt a nagging suspicion that I was going to need its aid. I took a hold of it, the blade shimmering in the candlelight and then reached into the drawer to find a small cloth to wrap the blade safely in before I sticking it in my boot; hiding it within the leather.

Not wanting to wake anybody up, I quietly went downstairs, stopping by the kitchen to grab a quick bite before leaving the villa and heading down to the stables. Another young groom, probably 17, was helping with the horses lately. Jaufree had taken in an apprentice.

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked, reaching up and twisting my hair away from my neck and face, tying it with a strip of cloth. The boy nodded eagerly. "Go wake up the men that were to leave with me to Florence today. We head out as soon as possible." Nodding once more, the boy ran off towards the city barracks.

Meanwhile, I swooped into the stables, reaching into Guido's normal stall and petting his warm nose. He nuzzled my palm fondly, already sensing that it was I even in the dark. When I opened the stall, he walked out, knowing that we were heading somewhere. I saddled the horse up myself and in the midst of the process, the mercenaries started to enter the stables gearing up their horses as well. Most of them were a bit gruff, obviously mad that they had been woken up long before the promised dawn. None of them complained though and I mentally thanked them for that.

Within the half hour, we were all ready to go, a small force that would barely draw a passing glance... I took serious consideration in being a leader and made sure all of the men were properly equipped and ready to go. The unnerving feeling within me made me make sure that all were prepared to the utmost fashion—I was not going to fail Mario's wishes and get his men killed. We rode hard under the dark of the night, kicking up a storm of dust behind the party.

* * *

Florence rose upon the horizon, the sight usually a welcome one, but on that morning, the sun barely peeking out upon our arrival, I felt a foreboding feeling. As the men and I got closer to the city, I turned around upon my mount, looking back at all of their hardened gazes. Swallowing my sudden anxiety, I realized that I was no good at pep talks.

"Do not be fooled by the city's calm," I said to them, raising my voice higher, "for there is a battle that we need to win today!" Some of the younger men whooped but the older mercenaries nodded solemnly. I glanced back at the large gate to the city. "We need to find Mario as soon as possible and then you will all go under his order. Proceed with caution as we go through the city—we could be walking right into a trap." I allowed my eyes to lock briefly with all of theirs. "Now let's do this."

We dismounted from our horses a long way from the gates, not wanting to bring any more attention to ourselves than what was necessary, although I would not be surprised if the enemies were expected reinforcements considering how large the order stretched out across Italy. The streets that were usually colorful and upbeat were deserted, frightened families staying within the confines of their own homes until the rebellions quieted down.

"Take the advance slow," I told them over my shoulder. "Some of you stay behind a ways. If we walk into an ambush or a trap, the few behind us will be able to help." I knew the danger in separating the group, however. "But don't fall too far behind; stay within sight at all times, understand?" The men that had decided to stay behind nodded then slowed their footsteps.

I continued to lead my small force through the morning shadows of the buildings, keeping my senses keen to try picking up any movement. We only moved a bit more into the city when suddenly one of the men behind me shouted, "Watch your selves!"

Immediately, my gaze snapped up and I saw dark clad men swooping down to the streets. I called out my own warning to the mercenaries, wanting them to prepare for battle as soon as possible. Something inside me twisted violently as I readied myself for battle, something that I have not had to do in a very long time. I found myself at a disadvantage, a small dose of panic rising within me as the men dressed in dark clothes and flowing robes jumped down in front of us a few feet.

The mercenaries were not moved and all rushed forward with their weapons drawn. It only took a moment longer for me to take a hold of my bearings and I started to fight as well, twisting through the battle to find my way to the enemies. All of the men had facemasks covering their noses and mouths but their eyes were threatening. Finding myself faced with one that had emerald green eyes, I placed myself in a calm stance, watching him carefully to judge his actions. He raised his sword up in the air, his dark gazed locked upon me. Swiftly, I raised my hand and grabbed his wrist, trying to push it away but my right leg was ripped out from under me, making me fall backwards, crying out in shock.

When I landed on my back in a loud groan, the man dug his heel into my stomach, making me suck in a deep breath of pain. Without much of a second thought, I reached up and wrapped my hand around his ankle, pressing my fingers into his boots, clenching around his muscle there. The man did not cry out but his knees did buckle under the pain, allowing me enough time to push myself up. Moving away, I jabbed my fingertips into the soft spot under his jawbone. I could not watch the man drop down, for I sensed a presence behind me, and I twisted around on my heel, swinging my elbow in a horizontal arch, whacking into something, a groan resulting from the hit. I ducked down quickly along with the man that had fallen from the hit, dodging the blade of another enemy. Flinching back, one of the mercenaries stabbed the man, the blade piercing through his stomach before the mercenary violently twisted the blade, jerking it through the side of the enemy, spewing blood all over me.

Then everything settled, leaving me sitting on my rear, covered in blood, my breathing labored. It had been far too long since I had fought. As the mercenary in front of me reached down to help me up, I hesitantly glanced about, not wanting to see any of those with me dead. To my relief, only one was injured enough to stagger him but he would be fine with treatment. Not wanting to get us all killed by staying behind for so long, I quickly had the man bandaged and hanging off the shoulders of two others men as we continued forward.

"Miss Narina!" One of the men called out.

Thinking we were about to be ambushed, I stopped my advance and glanced around quickly, placing myself in battle mode.

"It's Master Mario!"

My eyes locked onto a figure down an alleyway, and sure enough, it was Mario. From the restricted view that the alleyway allowed me to see, I could assess that Mario and his men were lined up strategically in the clearing they were in, all of them tense, aware of something that I was not. Without a second thought, I ran down the alleyway. The sounds of the mercenaries' own footfall right behind me. The old man managed to look up at me before I called out to him.

I saw his face fall into utter horror. "Narina! Good, God! Are you alright?"

Nodding eagerly, I wiped at the blood that I could feel cooling against my cheek. "It is not mine." I looked at the intense situation around me, wetting my suddenly dried lips. "How are things here?"

Mario looked about with me before he snapped his head back down to me. "Why weren't you here earlier?"

"What?" Shock flooded me as I stared up into his suddenly accusing gaze. "What do you mean?"

"We sent a message out for help nearly ten hours ago!"

My stomached tightened at the thought of Mario thinking I had betrayed him. "Message! We didn't receive any message back at Monteriggioni!"

Mario stared at me for a long moment, only looking away at his men briefly before he looked back at me. "The bastards must have intercepted it. Damn it!"

I swallowed back the fear that was building up in my throat like a dam. "Is it really that bad, then?"

"They're tougher than we could have ever imagined," Mario explained. "Not only that, but they're crafty and smart. Even though we were able to kill a lot of their forces, they still are able to trick us."

"What do they want?" I asked desperately.

"There's one last codex page within the city," Mario explained, "one that mentions where other pieces of Eden are located and can be found. Apparently, these bastards heard of it before we did and thought that they could get their grubby little fingers all over it." Mario paused, gazing around again. "But they tear up the town in their search, kill the innocent. Lorenzo has had enough of it but they are very skilled. We've had many casualties."

I let the information sit before I looked back at the mercenaries that had come with me, all of them seemingly more comfortable now that their leader was there. "Where is Ezio?" I asked, turning my gaze back upon Mario. "Isn't he helping?"

"He left on his own—" then quieter "—after I specifically asked him _not_ to."

"Left? Left where?"

Mario shook his head, glancing around once last time before he let his shoulder relax. "He said something about 'protecting' something. Then he ran off. Don't know where—I was too busy fighting to care."

"Should I go look for him then? Everything looks stable here."

Mario sighed, lolling his gaze towards me. "I'd prefer for you not to run off by yourself, Narina. You have only gotten a small dose of what these enemies have to offer, I'm sure. I don't need you going and getting yourself killed because you simply worry about Ezio."

"But I..." I looked back to the men who had followed me into battle. I knew that I did not want them to get hurt because I wanted to find Ezio, so I was not going to try to persuade Mario into letting them follow me. In the end and in reality, I could probably save more than one life if I stayed behind with Mario instead of going after Ezio.

In my silent contemplation, Mario sighed and reached out to take a hold of my shoulder. "Look, I know you'll leave as soon as you are able to, so I'll allow you to go. Take a few of my men with you for protection."

Shaking my head, I said, "I don't want to get anyone killed in this."

"Take them for your protection," Mario repeated, smiling softly at me. "Don't get yourself killed." He gestured to two men who were standing a few feet away, telling them all in a rush that they were to follow and protect me.

One of the men stepped forward, smiling and holding out his hand for a handshake. He introduced himself as Arturo, lifting my hand up to kiss at my knuckles. The other man that Mario had called over was older and gave me a friendly clap to the shoulder, grinning and saying that his name was Enrico.

"These are my two best fighters," Mario explained. "I've got enough men here to cover my back—take these two with you and go help with Ezio if you can." He frowned. "I know him well enough to know that he has most likely gotten himself in trouble."

I nodded, and then launched myself at him, embracing him tightly. "Thank you, Mario."

The hug was broken and I was down the street, the two mercenaries close at my heel, watching my back for me so that I could keep my eyes on the buildings around to try to find the Assassin that was trained to hide within the darkness.

* * *

We spent all day battling throughout the city. It seemed every corner we turned, there more waiting for us. There were times where I felt myself losing a hold on what my main concern was, having to press pressure points in such a constant manner that my fingertips almost felt numb from the overuse—soon, I just clenched my fists together and used my knuckles instead, taking part in fist fighting in the small sense. Both Arturo and Enrico were excellent fighters—I could see how they were Mario's best men. However, they were no skilled assassin, even though they could pass for quite the formidable swordsmen. Enrico was a veteran at the art of the sword, calmly gauging his enemy's moves before he calculated his own, while Arturo was young and agile, fast enough to dodge and thrust his blade all in the same movement. It was almost fun to watch them battle, like it was some game that I watched them play in admiration. They fought so differently, the battles we found ourselves within seeming like a window to the outside world and how other people opened their eyes to the same situation and goal.

The sun was inching near the horizon line when I suddenly remembered that I was looking for Ezio somewhere in the city, and soon after I grew tired of the game.

The battles that had gone on had not gone by without us getting hurt in the process. Arturo was sure one of his ribs was either broken or cracked, his lip was busted, and Enrico had a rather large gash across his forehead, the blood dripped down his face, smeared slightly from where he rubbed it away earlier. The pit of my stomach ached from getting a rather nasty punch that I had tried to avoid from jumping back but found myself in the arms of another enemy, holding me, as the punch drilled into my gut. Otherwise, we were fine.

"Any sign of Ezio?" I asked, turning my head to gaze back at my two battle buddies. The sun was gone by then, making our search that much harder.

"Nope." Arturo shook his head, his eyes locked upon the rooftops. "He's obviously moving because we've covered the entire city."

"Well, we've found moving targets before," I added in. I stopped when I saw a group of dark clad men jump from the rooftops. Sighing, I elbowed Arturo in the side, making him flinch. "Enemies ahead."

Enrico rushed forward with his sword drawn; meeting up with the men halfway down the small alleyway, we were in. Almost immediately, he dodged the enemy's swing, stepping sideways and bringing himself around to the side, thrusting his blade forward and ramming it through the man's gut, blood dripping off the tip of the blade. Arturo rushed if front of me, almost knocking me aside as he was suddenly face to face with another man; their blades locked. Finding myself in the moment again, I stepped around Arturo and rushed forward to face my own enemies. These men did not have the facemasks like the others we had fought, but they seemed just as threatening. One of the men I was facing sliced his sword horizontally at me, making me jump back, rebounding myself as the man let himself fall into one of the most common openings that Tamair had taught me. I reached forward, ramming my knuckles against his clavicle, dropping him to his knees. Knowing that I had given myself an opening to my back, I took a hold of the man in front of me and used all of my power to haul him up over me as I twisted around. As much as I expected, I heard the ripping of the skin and organs of the human shield I had used as his own ally had mistakenly killed him. Dropping my shield, I shifted aside and balled my fist, ramming it into the face of the man who had assaulted his own man. I felt the bone in his nose crunch under my knuckles, making me want to apologize to him.

"Narina!" I whipped around just in time to take in that a sword was coming down on me, the edge of the blade gleaming threateningly as if it sang of my demise. Yelping out in fear, I flinched, raising my hands up as if that would stop the blade from hurting me. Then I was cradled against something warm and hard, a hand gripped around my arm, a heart pounding erratically in my ear. There was a gurgled mess of words, and then everything went still. As my body calmed, I realized that I was in Arturo's arms, his breathing a little bit ragged. "That was a close one," he murmured. "Mario would have had my head if you would have gotten hurt."

I pushed away from him, shaking my head. "Sorry, I should have paid more attention." I looked around at the battlefield, seeing all of our enemies killed, laying in pools of their own blood. Something was amiss. "Where's Enrico?" I asked in a panic, looking at the bodies more fervently.

"Don't worry, he went this way," Arturo explained. "Some of the enemies ran—Enrico wasn't going to stand for it." He tugged on my arm, making me trip over the bodies around us. "Come on, we have to catch up."

I let him lead me down the street a little ways until I was able to run myself, climbing my way back up into reality. My eyes were locked in the shadows of the buildings, trying to make out Enrico's shape anywhere. Arturo's voice cut through my concentration. "God dammit, where did he go?" I turned my head to assess him and try to answer him the best I could, but my eyes locked on a figure that was moving on the far end of the clearing. A figure clad in white...

"It's Ezio!" I breathed, quickly stepping forward to approach him.

Arturo saw what I was referring to and he also went to step forward, but he suddenly took a hold of my arm and held me back. "What is he doing?" He whispered, his eyes narrowing.

Ezio had run into a small courtyard, nearly out of our eyesight, and then he was kneeling down, hovering over something, bowing down almost. Arturo let me go, but gestured that I follow behind him slowly. Nodding my head, I slowly and quietly followed Arturo closer to Ezio. As we approached the archway that led into the small courtyard, words started to form through the darkness, making me stop mid-step, reaching forward to tug Arturo to a stop.

"No, no!" Ezio was muttering fervently. "No! Please, stay with me, Cristina!"

My stomach dropped at the name and my feet bolted to the ground. Arturo had other ideas though, and started to tug me forward again. I tried to pull away from his hold, shaking my head no. I did not want to hear this—I did not want to have to go through this again. I could not get away from it, my ears somehow keener on the words Ezio was saying. "Please, Cristina, just hold on a little longer. I can get you to a doctor!"

"No... No," softer words came, on the verge of death. "This is it, Ezio."

"Don't say that!" Ezio snapped, making Arturo stop in his tracks, suddenly realizing why I did not want to approach this. "You're going to be okay, Cristina! Just stay here with me!"

Arturo glanced back over his shoulder at me, his eyes wide and his mouth parted slightly as if he did not know what to say. The realization that this just was not me being jealous that made me feel so lost and somewhat used. I felt the idiotic pressure of tears in my eyes, and I pressed my lips together, trying to will myself to move forward so that I did not have to worry about this. Nevertheless, my feet would not budge, and I found myself straining to listen even more intently on their words.

"But I've always been with you Ezio," Cristina whispered back, and I could almost see her weak smile from her words. "You've always had a hold of me, no matter how far you were." I heard her intake a ragged breath, causing me to catch my own breath, trying to stop myself from the overpowering wave of emotions. "I just wish...we could have had...another chance, Ezio." Her breath was released in a long huff, the words 'I love you' along the wispy breath.

My fingertips felt numb as I waited for Ezio's reaction, staring holes in the back of his head as he laid Cristina down. "_Requiescat in pace_, my love," Ezio murmured back, and I knew at that point that the Florentine beauty, Cristina Vespucci, was dead. It felt as though my whole world had been turned upside down for a moment, rendering me slightly confused and scared. I felt lost, and almost betrayed, as if I had been lied to. The knowledge that I had never had a complete hold on Ezio's heart hit me, and the breath that I had been holding was released, my emotions flowing out with it, steeling myself against the world.

Then I turned. "Let's go find Enrico—he could be running right into a trap," I said evenly, walking across the street to follow down into an alleyway. Without a word, Arturo followed a step behind me, sensing that I wanted to distance myself from all emotions now.

We were both running by the time we came upon the large open street that Enrico was in, ducking, dodging, and swinging at several dark-clad men that surrounding him. Arturo pulled out his blade and immediately began to fight once more, slicing his sword through the dark crowd, splattering blood through the air. I tried to get into the battle sense as well, approaching my own enemy, kicking at his leg to set him off balance as I reached forward to jam my forefinger into the pressure point under his jaw.

Then...nothing happened. He did not flinch away or even looked pained. He looked almost confused, as if he was questioning what I was doing. Then I realized that I had missed the point by a long shot, and the next thing I knew, I was knocked to the ground, the breath knocked out of me. I registered what the man above me was doing and I quickly rolled away, narrowly dodging the blade that clanked against the stone ground where I had just been laying. Before I could push myself up, I was lifted by my elbow roughly, a familiar voice in my ear. "Can't stay on your own two feet now, huh?"

I looked to the side to see Enrico smiling at me softly as he righted me, winking at me before he put himself back in his battle stance. Shaking my head, I tried to focus on the battle, wondering how I could have messed up in such a fashion, having thought that pressure points were all but a second nature to me now. I looked at my hands, trying to see if there was something upon my skin but I only found them shaking slightly. The overwhelming feeling of confusion swept over me, a feeling that I had linked to myself trying to remember something. My senses came back just in time for me to notice the movement next to me. I immediately ducked down, dodging the knife that had been thrown at me, the blade whistling through the air before it lodged itself in the stonewall of a nearby house. Scrambling back up to my feet, I stumbled a little and crashed against some crates that had been placed in the middle of the courtyard. My mind seemed to be in such a haze that it took me a moment to realize that I was being seized by my arm, lifted up once more.

"This doesn't look good," I heard Enrico say.

"No kidding," Arturo replied, both of their voices right at my side. I looked up and glanced around, suddenly realizing that we were surrounded by darkness the clothes of our enemies. Finally, I felt myself tense up, pressing myself closer to the two swordsmen that were positioned at my sides as if to protect me. "We'll have to make a break for it," Arturo breathed, his grip on me tightening. Then he pushed me aside, his cry breaking through the silence. Something zipped through the air, ending in a loud 'thunk'. I watched in horror, being held back by Enrico's strong hand, as Arturo fell down, crashing against the ground, his sword clattering loudly. Then I was shoved, Enrico's booming voice commanding me to run as fast as I could. Even as I sucked in my fear and let my legs carry me towards any place that seemed safe. However, I was surrounded by darkness, no way that I could see the white that I had connected to safety.

Something thwacked against the back of my skull, my eyesight flashed and I found myself falling forward. My arms could not catch me and I blacked out before I even hit the ground.

* * *

When I came to, I kept my eyes closed, trying to sort my thoughts in my aching head. For a moment, I could not remember what I had been doing or what had happened. Finally, my eyes fluttered open, my eyesight blurry as I tried to focus on my surroundings. My eyes finally cleared, and I found myself in a dimly lit room, only one candle burning in a holder on the wall. When I tried to move, I realized that I was bound, my wrists tied together and my ankles twisted together with a rope. I was lying on my side on a floor upon a thin sheet.

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I glanced around the room again. Next to me lay another person—Enrico, I realized a moment later. His back was turned towards me and his body moved slightly in his even breaths; he was tied up as well it looked like. A small panic rose within me, and I felt the words bubble up in my throat. "Enrico!" I whispered. "Enrico!"

I was somewhat surprised and relieved to see his body shift, and then his head swiveled around to look at me over his shoulder. "Narina!" He whispered in surprise, and then smiled. "You're awake—good."

"Are you alright?"

"Nothing that won't heal. You?"

"My head hurts," I replied, blinking against the throb in my head, "but I think I'll be fine. How long have we been here do you know?"

"I'm guessing all night."

"Where's Arturo?"

Enrico gestured with his head. "Behind you." I turned my head around and saw Arturo bound as we were, his eyes closed softly as if he were sleeping.

"Do you think he's okay?"

"He woke up not too long ago—he should be fine." I turned in time to see Enrico's eyes hardening. "They've taken us hostage. They know that you're dear to the Auditores and they recognized our skill."

I swallowed back the fear. "So they're using us, then?"

"It seems so." He shifted so that he was lying on his back, his dark eyes fixed upon the ceiling. "They'll probably torture us to make Mario give up the fight quicker."

"I hope Mario won't be stupid enough to do that," I remarked bluntly. "We're not worth it."

Enrico glanced at me. "Mario and Ezio would beg to differ."

Shaking my head, I shifted around so that I was lying on my back as well. "They won't give up the battle for us. If anything, it'll give them the incentive to attack this base..." I faded off. "Wherever _this base_ is."

"Before you came last night," Enrico explained, "we were searching for the base, but we couldn't determine where it was. Just because we are here will not make a difference in the search. I'm afraid we're on our own."

Finally, a sigh lifted from my lips, and I raised my bound hands to my face so I could rub at my eyes. "Well, okay. So what do we do?"

"I don't know," Enrico admitted, defeat in his voice. "We're in a real fix right now."

The door to the room opened, and we both looked up. There were three men covered head to toe in black, making their presence even more intimidating. They briefly glanced at all of us on the floor before they moved towards Enrico. "Where are you taking me?" My friend demanded as they lifted him up.

I watched with panic rising up once more, as the men carried the older man out the door. "Please don't hurt him!" I cried out after them, struggling against the ropes.

"Oh don't worry," a voice said to me, another figure stepping in through the door. "He'll be fine." This man was not dressed in black as his minions were—instead, he was dressed like a nobleman, colorful, bright clothing the floated away from his body. He must have been the leader. "He's just going in for some..._friendly_ questioning."

I tensed, glaring at him. "What do you want?"

"Just answers, my dear." He walked into the room more, stepping into the candlelight. His eyes were the darkest black that I could think of and his smile was more insincere than any that I had seen before. The presence that he had brought screamed danger, and there was no way I could defend myself. "If your friend cannot give us the answers, then we're just going to have to give the Auditores an ultimatum; either they give up this battle and let us win, or..." he trailed off as he knelt down beside me, letting his finger brush against the curve of my cheek." We kill you." I tensed up at the word, and then turned my head away from his touch, glaring more angrily at him. He smiled at me and then pushed himself back into a standing position. "I'll give them until evening." With that, he turned on his heel and left the room, closing the door behind him.

I stared at the door for a moment, plotting my not-so-easy escape.

"He drives a hard bargain, doesn't he?" I felt my face fall into surprise before I snapped my head around. Arturo had rolled onto his back, his head lolled to the side so that he could smile at me. "He knows how to handle hostage situations, it seems."

I breathed in relief, finding enough of myself to smile back at him. "Are you okay?"

"Well, aside from my hands and legs being tied together, I'm just peachy." He raised his brows. "You?"

A laugh busted forth. "I feel like I'm staring death in the face, but other than that, I'm alright."

His own chuckle echoed in the empty room. "You shouldn't worry—Ezio and Mario will figure something out. They always have and probably always will."

"Hmm." I stared at a spot on the ceiling, focusing intently. I reminded myself of what I had seen with Ezio and Cristina, and I felt the inevitable feeling of jealousy and a small form of helplessness within me. "Yeah. Let's hope so." I was not stupid enough to think that Ezio did not care about me—I knew he did. I knew he loved me. Nevertheless, something about the fact that I had not had a hold of him all these years made me feel uneasy for some strange reason.

The door opened again, this time a lanky man with a scarred face walked in, a tray in his hand that held two cups of what looked like water and two thin slices of bread. "Eat up," he said before he put the tray on the floor between the two of us, and then he left, locking the door behind him.

"Thank God," Arturo exalted, squirming around until he was sitting up. "I'm starving." With his tied hands, he reached for his rations, and then looked up to me. "Eat up. This is probably the only thing they're going to give us." Eying the small meal wearily, I too finally began to eat the bread and drink the dirty water. It hit the bottom of my stomach harshly, reminding me that I had not eaten in a long while.

It was when I was laying back down on my somewhat-bed when Arturo suddenly groaned aloud. "Shit," he breathed. I looked over at him, my eyes widening when I saw that his face was scrunched up in pain. "They put something in it," he muttered, and then his face relaxed and his breaths fell even almost immediately. My eyesight went blurry no matter how much I blinked to try to focus again. A loud ringing echoed in my ears, and I tilted my head against it, trying to shut out my senses. Then I felt myself relax, my mind fell into the unconsciousness.

* * *

My eyes snapped open and a large breath was drawn through my nose, clearing up my head immediately. How long had I been out? I rolled around, my eyes locking on the figure next to me. His back was turned towards me again, and when I tried to reach out to him, I was reminded that I was tied.

"Arturo," I whispered fervently, then told myself that I did not need to be quiet. "Arturo!"

How quickly he rolled over to look at me surprised me, telling me that he had been awake long before me. "Hey," he said calmly, although his smile was no longer upon his face.

"How long was I out?" I demanded, staring intently at him.

He tilted his head and moved his shoulders mean a shrug. "Dunno. I woke up just a little bit ago."

"Well, what time do you think it is then?"

"Narina, calm down," he muttered. "They wouldn't abandon us—they'll come and save us long before nightfall." Without a word, I stared deep into Arturo's forest green eyes, trying to show him my concern through the gaze. Finally, he sighed. "Look, I heard what Ezio said. But you have to know that doesn't negate Ezio's feelings for you."

"I know, I know," I conceded. "I know that he loves me." I averted my gaze back up to the ceiling. "But just the knowledge that he loved someone else too...well, not only does it hurt, but I almost feel betrayed."

"Trust me," Arturo hummed, "I know the feeling." Surprised, I looked at him, wondering if he was just full of himself. He smiled softly at me. "I was in love once too, Narina. You just need to talk about it with him."

I looked away. "I'm tired of talking about Cristina with him. It always ends up the same way—with the subject being dropped and Ezio on top of me."

"Sorry. I'm just trying to make you feel better."

"You're just making me feel like a bitch." I paused, and then quickly continued. "This isn't our concern now—first things first, we need to get out of here. We need to find a way to get out of these ropes off."

Arturo snorted. "Good luck. They took everything that we could use to cut the ropes."

Sighing, I closed my eyes to think, when something hit me so suddenly. "The knife!"

"What?"

I was already reaching down, using both of my tied hands to reach down into my boot, grabbing the object within the leather. Pulling off the cloth, I held up the blade, which gleamed in the candlelight. With wide eyes, Arturo stared at me, a smile slowly spreading on his lips. "Ezio gave this to me before he went to battle!" I explained. "I knew it would come in handy!"

"Good God, girl!" He exclaimed with a grin. "Why didn't you tell me before?" He sat up effortlessly once more, holding out his hands, pulling them apart to give him enough space between to cut through the rope. With a little bit of a struggle, I sat up too, reaching out with both my hands clasped around the hilt of the knife. Once I had placed the sharp edge on the rope binding his hands together, I rocked myself back in forth, giving the blade a small sawing motion that frayed the rope. His hand finally broke free and the rope fell, thudding onto the floor.

Breathing in relief, Arturo rolled his hands, popping his wrists. "Now _this_ is more like it!" He took the blade form my hand while I held my hands away. Both of us jumped in surprised when the door handle was being messed with, the lock clicking loudly. Without a word, we both flopped down onto our sides, Arturo turning his back on the door to hide his free hands and the knife.

Then the door opened, and I looked up into pitch black eyes, faced with a smug smile. "I see that you are awake." My eyes moved down his body, locking onto his right hand, which was clasped around the hilt of a blade. Quickly, I looked back up at his eyes, fear bolting through me. His smile seemed to grow. "Guess what time it is?"

It was a rhetorical question; I knew exactly what time it was just from looking at him. It was nightfall—neither Ezio nor Mario had come to save me. Although I knew that, it was reasonable—to save the entire city of Florence in my sacrifice—I felt betrayed. I shifted uncomfortably as the man stepped forward, carelessly waving the blade about.

"You know, I'm as much surprised as you are," he mused. "I thought for sure that they would come for you." His gaze caught mine. "I thought the young one loved you."

My jaw clenched and I looked away from him, balling my fists.

"Oh? Was that a sore spot?" He chuckled, and then he was kneeling beside me, smiling down upon me. "Were you just as deceived as I was?"

"Shut up!" I snapped, glaring daggers at him. "You don't understand!"

The breath in my throat stuck when I watched him raise the blade. "Not that I'll ever need to," he hummed, studying the sharp edge. "I made a promise that I'd take your life at nightfall,"—he smiled wider—"and I always keep my word." He twirled the blade so the sharp point was pointing towards me. "_Buonanotte_, Narina."

A gasp was ripped out of me, but not because of the blade or the man—it was because Arturo had shot over me, tackling the man to the ground, the blade that had threatened me clattering to the floor. I watched them roll across the floor, growling and grunting, fighting for dominance. As I pushed myself up into a sitting position, there was this splurging noise, and the two men stopped moving. Arturo warily stood up, huffing aloud, a bloody knife in his hand. "That was a close one," he muttered before he turned towards me. The dark eyed captor was clutching his side, his fingers bloodied and his face wrung in pain.

I focused back on my hands, Arturo kneeling before me and carefully cutting the ropes. "Let's get out of here," he said to me as my legs were freed. He helped me stand up, holding out the blade. "Here."

I shook my head. "You keep it—you're probably better with it than I am, anyway." We nodded to each other, and without another glace to the man bleeding on the floor, we ran out of the room.

We were not too far before something clicked. "We can't leave without Enrico!" I said to Arturo as we ran down the halls of the house.

"It'll take to long to find him," he argued, shaking his head. "We'll come back for him once we get out and get help."

"They didn't come and help us," I retorted, "so why would they risk everything just for one guy?"

He did not respond to that, only glancing at me out the side of his eye. He must have sensed my determinacy for he complied with my worry and started to check all of the rooms that we passed. Our luck changed when we were faced with a group of the enemies. Without much hesitation, Arturo used his blade skills and I tried my hand in pressure points again, glad to find that I still remembered how. Once most of them were either death or knocked out, Arturo took a hold of the nearest, most conscious one. "Where is Enrico?" He demanded darkly.

The man gasped for air, bleeding out quickly. "He—he's on the bottom floor. I-In the room near the kitchen." Satisfied, Arturo threw the man down on the floor and we both quickly ran down the hall. A few moments later, we found the stairs, and immediately descended them, then intent on looking for the kitchen. Before we could start searching down the halls, we were faced with numbers of dark clothed men, all of them seemingly blood thirsty. As hard as I tried and as swiftly as I dodged, I was still sliced by a swinging dagger, catching me at my clavicle and slicing in a diagonal line, stopping at the upper swell of my left breast. Now bleeding everywhere, I let Arturo quickly finish the battle before he ran over to help me. Without our medical supplies, he could only rip cloth from then fallen to sloppily wrap the wound. I insisted on following Arturo further, claiming that the wound was not deep enough for terrible damage, even if it did sting. Our previous success must have been transferred throughout the building for we ran into no more battles. Instead, we found the kitchen and the room that was nearby.

I flung the door open. "Enrico!" Running across the room, I kneeling down next to the large figure, slumped against the wall. I touched his face. "Are you alright?"

One weary, brown eye opened up. "Narina? What are you...?" He faded off, grunting as he sat up straighter. He was still tied together, though his right eye was swollen, his lip busted, and judging the sound of his harbored breaths, a few broken ribs.

"Save your energy, old friend," Arturo said, kneeling beside me, using the knife to cut Enrico's ropes. "We're going to get out of here." Both Arturo and I heaved Enrico up, putting his arms over our shoulders and we hauled him out of the room. When we were back in the stairway room, Arturo looking around for what he hoped to be the front door to this place, I suddenly had to pull myself straight—I had been slumping over, feeling rather light-headed.

"Uh...Arturo...?"

"What?"

"I don't think I'm okay." I felt myself swaying, one knee nearly buckling under my own weight and Enrico's.

"Hold on just a little bit more," he encouraged. "We'll be out of here in a moment. Here, I can carry Enrico by myself." With the extra weight lifted off me, I felt a little bit better, able to walk just a little bit further. I lost count of how many halls we turned down, how many doors we went through, but finally—_finally—_Arturo had me open these large, wooden doors, and a cooling night breeze rushed through my hair and against my flustered face, instantly making me feel much better. One of my hands reached up to touch at the cloth wrapped around my shoulder and chest, the cloth damp with a sticky substance.

The cool night air must have revived Enrico a bit too, for he stood up on his own and began to walk beside Arturo slowly. I felt myself suddenly exhausted and relieved. We were out, and we were alive! I followed quickly behind the two men as the wandered out into the street.

"How did you two...?" Enrico started, and then cut him self off abruptly, clutching at his side and groaning.

"Don't talk," Arturo said, and then turned to me. "We made it out. Now what?"

The haze in my brain still had not gone away. "Perhaps we should...sit down..."

The next thing I knew, we were surrounded again and I considered just giving up right then and there—lock me up, it's better than bleeding to death... Then I realized that I recognized the faces that were surrounding me, all of them swarming around us, talking at what seemed like a million miles an hour. The thoughts began to swarm inside my head like angry bees, and when I tried to shake them away, I almost tilted over.

Something caught on my arm. "Whoa, there! Save your energy!"

"Mario?" I managed to look up into the face of the older man who I had come to look at as my own father.

Smiling at me, he pulled me into a light embrace. "Thank God you're alright." Before I could respond in any way, he held me away again. "We need to get you to the _dottore_ immediately!" I found enough of myself to be surprised when Mario swooped me up into his arms, carrying me as if I weighed less than a sack of potatoes. "Men!" He yelled out, his voice so loud it made me flinch. "The battle is won! Head out!" Even with my head ringing in pain, I felt myself relax. It was over. Finally.

I stayed awake long enough that I was still conscious when we arrived. Enrico was being hauled right behind Mario and me as we went into the doctor's shop. The doctor immediately set to unwrapping the cloth around me and moving aside my shirt so that he could examine the wound. It had finally stopped bleeding, but my head was still a little in the light section.

Mario hovered for a moment, asking the doctor if both Enrico and I would be okay. When he finally got the 'yes', he left the shop, going to gather his troops and probably lead them back to Monteriggioni. The doctor was treating Enrico for a moment, letting me lazily look around the shop, catching sight of the hanging herbs from the ceiling and the boiling pots of water over the fire.

"Alright, then, let's look at this cut." I felt awkward as the doctor pushed the cloth of my shirt down to look at more of my skin, but I knew he meant no harm in it. "Hmm... it's not too deep. Here." He grabbed a bottle and began to rub this stinging liquid into the fleshy wound, making my face scrunch in pain. As he was pressing a warm, damp cloth to the wound, someone entered the shop, both of us looking up.

Ezio stood in the doorway, his hood down, out of breath and looking absolutely scared. "_Mio Dio_, Narina! You're safe!"

When the assassin tried to come further into the shop, the doctor held up a hand. "Please don't bother me while I am working," he said sternly, then handing me a glass of liquid. "Drink this. It'll make you feel better."

Wary from the last time I drank an offered drink, I eyed the glass incredulously before I took it in my shaky hands and gulped down the off tasting water.

"Now we'll put this on the wound," he explained, putting a jelly like substance on it. "This'll help fight the inflamed skin." He shuffled around. "You need to rest. You, leave her be." He waved a hand towards Ezio.

Ezio's eyes still did not leave me; his stance looked as if he was ready to pounce. Somehow, I managed a smile. "I'm fine. Can you go find Guido for me? I want to get back home as soon as I am able."

He melted a little, smiling stiffly back. "Okay. But I'll be right back."

My smile faded. "Ezio."

He paused, looking back at me before he walked out the door. "What is it?"

I took a deep breath, looking deep into his eyes for a moment. "I'm really sorry about Cristina," I mumbled. His facial expression did not change, his eyes turning into plundering fingers that tried to pry into my head. However, I was suddenly too drowsy, and I let my head loll to the side, breathing deeply before I fell asleep.

* * *

The first time I opened my eyes, I was rocking back and forth, leaning against a warm object, the moonlight pouring over me. Turning my face I found the course cloth beneath it comforting in its scent and not soon after my eyes closed once more.

* * *

When I opened them again, seemingly only seconds later, I was lying down in a familiar bed, on top of the covers, rolled onto my side and sprawled awkwardly. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, reaching up and rubbing my forehead, groaning lightly.

"You awake?" I turned around, looking up at the figure that was hovering over the bed.

It was Ezio, disrobed and sitting at the edge of the bed, watching over me intently. "Yeah." The information finally settled in and I confirmed that I was home in Monteriggioni with a glance around the room at all the windows and the desk bathed in the candle light.

"How do you feel?" He reached over and let his fingers press to my forehead.

"Good." Again, my eyes strayed to the windows. "What time is it?"

"Near midnight." Ezio leaned to the side table and picked up a glass of liquid. "Here. Drink this—the doctor said it will make you feel better." It was warm liquid, making me recoil away and take only a sip. Ezio smiled at me.

"Is it really that bad?" I wondered, reaching up and touching my shoulder. What I felt made me look down immediately, seeing that I was bandaged up. "What is this?" I wondered aloud, forgetting my earlier question.

"It isn't all that bad," Ezio answered, placing the cup back on the table. "The doctor had me bandage you up after I got back from catching Guido." A pause. "He somehow hurt himself, you know."

"Really? What's wrong with him?"

"He's limping. I tried to look to see what was wrong but he snapped at me." Ezio settled at the edge of the bed again, his back towards me as he stared across the room. I looked away from his bare back, from the nasty scar that seemed to mock me. "You'll have to look at him tomorrow." Silence rose between us as I fidgeted around, trying to stretch out the aches in my muscles.

"They didn't..._do_ anything to you, did they?" Ezio asked in a whisper, his eyes turned away from me.

My brow furrowed. "No. What gave you that thought?"

His shoulders rose and then fell as he sighed. "I guess I just assumed that the worst case scenario happened when I heard you had been taken hostage." I did not know what to say, so I busied myself with rubbing at my sore wrists. In my peripheral, I saw Ezio shaking his head. "And then right as we were about to go into battle to go get you, they told us that if we came too close they'd kill you and the other two, and if we didn't surrender by evening, they'd kill you all anyway." My eyes found themselves locked on Ezio's figure as he rested his elbows against his knees, burying his face in his hands. "We couldn't do anything! I felt so useless!" He stilled for a moment. "I was afraid that I was going to lose you, too," he whispered.

Something inside me seemed to crumble at his words when I considered the meaning behind them. Ezio had lost almost everything, his father, his brothers, his love, his childhood, his life. I could only imagine how much pain he had been through the past eighteen years. It then hit me that I had known Ezio longer than his own brothers had, longer than even Giovanni. He had only lived seventeen years with them; with me, he had lived eighteen. Time was slipping by so quickly.

Sitting up slowly and simultaneously reaching out, I caught hold of Ezio's arm. "It's okay," I muttered, shifting around so that I was sitting closer to him. I hugged his arm to me, pressing my face into his shoulder comfortingly. "I'm here, and I'm safe."

He sat up straighter, his muscles relaxing somewhat under my touch. "Thank God for that," he mused softly. Then he moved around, somehow shifting us both around so that I was in his embrace, my head tucked under his chin. Humming lightly into his chest, I breathed in his musky scent, hugging him tight. "I know what it feels like to lose you, Narina," he mumbled into my hair as his finger rubbed circles into my back. "I don't want to ever feel that way ever again." He pushed me away then, holding me at arms length as he smiled at me lightly. Then he bent his head and kissed me softly, molding his lips to mine, making me forget about the throbbing pain in my collarbone.

"Oh!" He pulled away, setting me down on the bed. "I have something for you."

I tilted my head. "A present? Wasn't the necklace enough?"

Ezio stood up and was halfway across the room when he stopped and looked back at me; a silly grin upon his face. "That was years ago. Besides, this one is special."

"And the last one wasn't?" I asked skeptically but smiled anyway.

He went over to his desk, his robes draped over the edge. As he dug through the material, his gold eyes flashed up at me. "Close your eyes."

"Why?" I raised a brow.

"I want it to be a surprise. Come on, just humor me."

"Fine." I closed my eyes.

"And no peeking." His sudden resemblance of a child made me smile and shake my head softly as if I was surprised that I had fallen for such a man. I listened to him rummage through the cloth for a moment longer before his bare feet plodded against the wooden floor. "Don't peek!" He said again, his grin even noticeable in his voice.

"I'm not!'" I said quickly, and then giggled. "Stop giving me ideas!"

When he chuckled, his warm breath brushed against my face, making me tense as I sensed his sudden closeness. His fingertips pressed into my hands, turning them upwards. Then I felt something small press into my skin, confusing me further as I tried to think of what he would give me.

"Okay," he muttered after a short moment. "Open your eyes."

Immediately, I looked down at what he had pressed into my hand. A golden rip lay in the middle of my palm, silver metalwork twisting into beautifully intertwining vines that surrounded a clear gem that softly glowed in the candlelight. I stared at it for a moment before I looked up to Ezio, tilting my head at him. "A ring?"

Ezio sat beside me, leaning over me and tucking me under his arm. "When my Father was courting my mother," Ezio began warmly, "he gave her this ring to show that he really cared about her. Of course, when they actually married, he got her another one but she told me she couldn't bring herself to throw away this one and has kept it ever since." I felt his lips press against my temple. "My mother said that I could give it to you now."

I did not understand what he was saying until he took the ring and started to slip it onto the third finger of my left hand. My stomach dropped when I saw it nestled there, and I snapped my gaze up to Ezio's gaze. His smile was almost radiant. "I know you don't like fancy things," he whispered, pulling my hand up to his lips as he kissed the ring. "But I thought this could be an exception." Then he looked at me calmly, smiling when he saw my gaping mouth and wide eyes. For some reason, I could not comprehend what Ezio was getting at. I had convinced myself that he was not capable of doing something like this.

"Narina," he said in between chuckles, seeing my confusion and disbelief, leaning his forehead against mine. "I love you."

That somehow melted the confusion and I finally smiled, my eyes automatically filling with tears. I reached up and touched his rough jaw, my breath catching in my throat as I choked on my sudden happiness. He kissed me then, holding me close as my arms wrapped around his neck, my fingers tangling into his short hair.

"We can have a big ceremony if you'd like," he murmured, his thumb brushing against my cheek to wipe away the tears.

"No, no." I laughed. "_This_ is perfect."

"Then that's a yes and you'll stay here with me?"

Even though I had never considered any other place home without Ezio, even though he had always had a hold upon me no matter where I was, I felt as though he was asking a question far bigger than what I thought it to be. I suppose that I had never imagined Ezio being capable of asking for a woman's hand in marriage, even though it was not exactly the traditional way. I liked it nonetheless.

Staring into his golden eyes that I had come to love unconditionally throughout the years, and smiling in response to his boyish grin, I traced the scar on his lip with my fingertip. Indeed the years had flown by and shown on both of our faces, but I was ready to face eighteen more years with him, and possibly more if that was possible.

Kissing him warmly and slowly, I finally whispered, "I'll stay."

* * *

**Ugh. I pissed myself off with this ending. It was so much more romantic in my head, then when I wrote it out, it was horrible. *groans * I hate it when stuff like that happens.**

**As for the Cristina thing—I meant to leave it out at the end. Let's just say that Narina is tired of being jealous and fighting and basically wants to try a new way. Okay? Okay. People _can_change, you know. I say this because a few people have been telling me lately that Narina isn't who she used to be. Think about it, though-over ten years have passed! Realistically, people change.**

**Oh, yeah, in quote from my dA picture—if you want a happy ending, this is probably the chapter you want to uh...stop at.**  
**Three more chapters. Brace yo'selves.**

**I've been wasting my days playing Dragon Age: Origins again. I love it so much—I feel like I have so much control in the game! :3**

**If you want, check out my profile and I have a list of links for Fanart for this story! :D Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to draw me some love! :3**

**Thanks to HanashiNoSensu for Betaing! :3**

**Thanks for reading! And Review!**


	42. The Essence of Goodbyes

**I wanted to get this chapter out sooner because I know I took a very long time on the last one and I wanted to apologize somehow. However, I truthfully just pushed this fic aside for a very long time. I've been working on an independent story as of late, and I've been getting so into it that I almost totally forgot about this story. But never fear—I promise to get this done, even in all of the epicness I planned it to be.**

**This is the last chapter until the end starts. The end is probably going to consist of two chapters because I don't want to have to try and squeeze it all into one chapter.**

***UNBETAED VERSION*  
**

* * *

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* * *

_Mayday, somebody save me now.  
I'm closing my eyes, cause once the sun rises,  
it's out of my hands._

_Who's to say this history_  
_isn't just some winner's distant memory?_  
_You can't escape this drying ink._  
_The fall of who we are is getting closer._

_-"Circadian" by David Cook_

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**Chapter 41: The Essence of Goodbyes  
**

I pressed up against the wall, nearly dodging the sharp edge of the knife that skidded to a halt at my toes. Stepping over the blade, I pressed my heel into the stone floor, balancing myself as I lifted my hands in amazement. "After how many years we've been together and your fighting skills are _still_ arousing somehow."

Chuckling, Ezio flicked his sword to fling off the blood. "The man shouldn't have ran—not only does it entice me, but also it led to the death of his fellow solders." He paused, licking his thumb slowly as he regarded me. Then he held out his thumb, rubbing it against my face. "Blood splatter." A grin. "_Very_ sexy."

Underneath Venice was the location of this mission. Finally, after the twenty years of being together, Ezio and I got around to finding the last assassin tomb in Italy. Thanks to the ever-wondrous Tamair, we were able to find a map of the tomb within the Palestine documents. Of course, with the age of the map, it wasn't very surprising to note that some parts of the map didn't exist anymore while new additions were not yet inked. Upon entering the buried ruins, we alerted some of the guards on patrol and had to go through one hell of a maze to catch up to him and his buddies.

Ezio pulled out the said map, unfolding it and looking over it. He hummed under his breath, clicking his tongue. "It seems that we have only the trial to go through now. Shouldn't be much longer."

"This is so exciting!" I said with a large smile. "After all this time, we're _finally_ going to unlock that amazing armor!"

Folding up the map and putting it away, Ezio chuckled and twisted about on his heel. "We go this way." It was really the only way to go, the large door decorated with golden metalwork. Ezio reached out and touched these designs before he pushed the door open, stepping back to allow me to walk through.

We found ourselves in a darkened hall, made of stone, water glistening golden in the candle light pouring through the door. My mouth twisted up in disgust as I assessed the smell of polluted water, the twang of mold and rotten fruit melded in with it.

"These tombs get shadier and shadier every time," I muttered under my breath, trying to shake the smell away and willing myself to step forward, my boots sloshing through the puddles. The door banged shut behind, Ezio obviously not wanting any to follow so quickly behind us. I waited for him, and he took a firm hold of my hand before we trudged through the murky hall.

The narrow hall soon opened up into a large, circular room, the path we were walking on continuing in a thin strip to the middle of the room. Water surrounded the path, making the rounded end of the path almost an island. Broken pathways were spotted throughout the rest of the water, no real path continuing anywhere, the only choice was to go up to the other levels and hope that there was a pathway up above. The water somehow surprised me even though Venice was a _floating_ city. Near our entry point, there was a large lever jutting out of the wall. As Ezio began to pull at it, trying to budge it from its point, I gazed up at the seemingly never ending room, waiting to hear the click of the lever.

Instead of the small click, I heard a deep rumbling, almost a _swoosh_ noise, confusing me and causing me to gaze back at Ezio. He didn't seem concerned, using all of his weight and concentrations to tug on the lever. "Ezio, did you hear that?"

The back of his hood swished back and forth. "No. What am I supposed to be hearing?" He still didn't turn, focused intently on his task, an attention span that I had gotten used to.

I was suddenly aware of the blue-greenish water that nearly surrounded me, it's murky depths unfathomable. Was it just me, or did something move down there? Shaken, I took a step towards Ezio. "I think something is down there."

"Down where?"

"In the water."

"Water?"

There it was again, a ginormous shadow down in the layer of dirty water. I wasn't imagining it, was I?

"There's something there," I whispered as if afraid I would draw the attention of what-ever-it-was if I spoke too loudly, reaching out to Ezio to try and find him and hold onto him.

"I know you don't like water, Narina, but—ah, goddammit!" Ezio hit the wall with his gloved hand, grunting in displeasure. "I need to concentrate, love. Try not to distract me."

Before I could feel too annoyed with him the water started to bubble lightly as if it was being disturbed, and before I could voice my concern to Ezio again, something shot out of the water, spraying the cold liquid everywhere, causing me to cry out and flinch back.

There was no floor under my heel. "Whoa there!" Ezio caught a hold of my wrist before I could fall backwards into the water. Whatever had flung out of the menacing liquid waved through the air, flicking water all over the walls noisily. Since I had froze in shock, not knowing what in the hell I was seeing, Ezio had to pull me out of the way before the slimy looking limb hit into me. Whatever it was, it was _big_. Circles were dotted on one side of the limb, caved in the middle slightly. With one last whip through the air, it splashed back in the water and disappeared in the watery shadows.

"Oh my..." I looked up at Ezio as he steadied me. His hood had fallen off, revealing a middle aged man with a dark, shaggy beard and the sharpest golden eyes, widened with surprise. "What was that?" I asked in a breathless whisper.

Shaking his head, Ezio pulled me more to his side, holding me delicately. "Let's not stick around to find out. Let's go." With my added help, Ezio was able to pull down the lever, opening a stone door that was a few levels above us. With our concerns aimed at the water, we crossed over the walkway as quickly as we could before we found a broken path that could lead us to a spot where we could scale the wall and arrive at our desired level.

* * *

The rest of the tomb wasn't nearly as eventful; just the normal puzzles and races to get through a certain door. When we finally reached the room with the actual tomb, though, I was exhausted, no amount of years having to run around and train helping me with my shape. As Ezio pried the tomb open to get the oval seal, I poked through the room that was filled with crates and red silk, trying to find something that I would like to take back home with me. With our mission done, however, we left the tomb quickly, not wanting to wait any longer than we had to. The exit was a very long hall that ended with a stone wall, one that was easily pushed open with our combined strength. A rush of cold air and biting rain swept around the ajar door, and with our hands tangled tightly together, Ezio and I stepped out, being enfolded in the weather.

It was a wet winter that year—the currents off of the Mediterranean Sea were very warm that fall, and, since Italy didn't get much snow in the cities as it was, it all just turned to slush and rain. It was...well, to put it bluntly, disgusting. It wasn't exactly the most ideal weather to travel in, but Ezio insisted that we get the final seal.

As quickly as we could, we ran over the city to the warm Seta building, and after striping of our soaked clothes and eating a warm meal from the thieves, we spent some time shooting the breeze with Rosa and Ugo. The two of them had finally come out about their relationship publicly years before, and as far as I knew, they were extremely happy with each other, despite how much they argued over trivial things. But of course, I think that made their relationship that much stronger. It was nice to see them together after all that had happened between them.

Ugo also had to make a smart remark on the ring and about how we didn't invite him to the wedding (which saddened me because it made me realize that Ezio and I hadn't been to Venice in a very long time) and we informed him that there wasn't even a wedding to have attended, to which Rosa was upset because we didn't send them a letter at least. However, after telling her about how Ezio gave it to me, she accepted the fact that we didn't need a big ceremony to make it all official. Then—oh God—they asked about kids and family, to which we told them it wasn't happening just yet...or if it could even happen. Honestly, we _had _ been trying to get pregnant for years now, but, for some odd reason, I just couldn't conceive a kid. Before we tucked ourselves into bed, each other the beacon of warmth for the chilly winter, Ezio and I joined the thieves in a round of wine and off-colored jokes (although I still enjoyed them).

* * *

The next day consisted of riding the boat back over to Forli, where we stopped and had a pleasant enough, but quick, visit with Caterina, and then we saddled up horses from the stables and then start to head up into the snowy mountains. Considering the time of the year and also the horrible weather, we stopped early for the night and made camp, complaining about the cold and sticking to each other to try and conserve some heat lest we both freeze to death. Even if we didn't get much sleep, we both survived and headed out early the next morning, trying to get back to Monteriggioni in a reasonable time.

From Florence, Ezio and I discussed the codex pages we had taken to Venice with us for Leonardo to decode. Most of them described the building of the new Order that Altair went though to ensure that the power of Eden would never be misused again. None of it really made sense, but Ezio said something about how they were all connected, that if they were all lined up just right that we would find something very valuable—but we needed _all_ of the pages first, and that was a problem considering that we were missing around ten still. However with the ones that we _did_ have, we were able to piece a few pages together, and although I had no idea what Ezio meant by "all of them having a connection", I trusted him and put my faith in him.

* * *

In the dimming day (that was actually sunny for once), we finally saw home on the horizon—Monteriggioni and all of it's expensive glory. Templar activity had been rather slow for the past two years, making our twenty year mark of dealing with each other a nice change.

As the buildings grew larger, I turned towards Ezio with a grin on my face. "What if you don't fit in the robes?" I asked bluntly, wanting to poke fun at Ezio. "Like, what if Altair was skinnier than you?"

Ezio gave me a gruff look, the day of riding very apparent on his face. "That's what the city tailor is for, is it not?"

My jaw popped open in mock surprise. "You would alter such a relic! It's as old as the Order you live by, boy!"

I nearly laughed as Ezio pouted at me. "I'm not a boy any longer, and besides, whatever needs to be done must be done." Ezio nonchalantly shrugged and clicked his tongue to command the horse to walk faster. I repeated his words in a high mocking tone under my breath, wanting to be a pain in his ass. Then completely forgetting the conversation, I nudged my toes into the horse's side, making us trot until we caught up with Ezio again.

I idly wondered about Claudia and how she was holding up—since Mario had to leave for the southern coast of Italy for business, we had been placed in charge of the town. When we left for Venice, we put Claudia in charge of the town and the forces, hoping that we wouldn't be attacked in our absence. Seeing the town unharmed was quite the relief.

Even though I was excited to uncover the armor, something didn't feel right. It was like a ball of misery was waiting to explode inside of me, and I could already feel the ache of anguish. I couldn't think of what it could have resulted from; that is, until I saw Jaufree standing in the road, arms folded, waiting for our approach. The look on his face was death and that's when the panic exploded.

"No!" I whispered out before I whipped the bridle, causing the horse to break out in a full spring. "Jaufree!" I cried out, pulling the horse to a stop and jumping off, nearly falling over in my rush. "Jaufree, please tell me that he is okay!"

The man didn't say anything for a moment, adverting his eyes to Ezio as he rode up. "It is a good thing you came now." His somber eyes caught mine, and automatically, my own eyes filled with tears in result of the truth written within his gaze. "He's in so much pain, Narina. We have to end it for him." After I shook my head, he continued "I waited long enough to give you a chance to say your goodbyes." His hand rested upon my shoulder and he tilted his head sympathetically at me. "He was a good horse, Narina."

I roughly wiped at my face, trying to brush away the tears. "A-are you sure that there's no way to...?"

"I am." The hand was dropped while another was wrapped around mine—Ezio's hand. "He's in the back stall. I suggest that you make it quick. It seems to be easier that way."

Everything seemed to move in a haze as I made my way through the stalls, everything seemingly leaning in to suffocate me. The only comfort was the feel of Ezio's hand tangled with mine, making it easier to breath, at lease a little bit. I was crying before I walked into the stall, heaving in sobs, and all of that doubled when I saw my beloved chestnut horse laying on his side, his big, dark eyes wide and pinned on me as if asking for help.

"Oh, Guido." I collapsed beside his large head, caressing his broad jaw. A large, unsteady breath pushed noisily out of his nose, his deep brown eyes so wide that I could see the whites around the iris, as if he were spooked. I could see the pain he was feeling and I shook with a rather loud sob. "It's going to be okay," I murmured, sniffing loudly, trying to lift his massive head to set it in my lap. "I'm here. I'm so sorry that I left you alone." The beast huffed loudly, the sickness inside of him killing him slowly.

I realized that Jaufree had told me to make it quick, but I wanted to stay by the horse's side for as long as I could. Bending over, I began to coo softly into his coarse coat. With stumbling words, I went through all of the crazy adventures that I had gone through with him. While I spoke, Guido's large eyes were pinned on me, hazing more with every story told.

Finally, Ezio's hand touched the back of my neck, a soft pressure that was meant to calm me. "Narina," he whispered. "We should go."

"But..."

"Narina." His voice was soft and yet so firm, making my will waver. I refused to look at him, feeling a wash of tears pool in my eyes. "We can't let him suffer anymore." When I didn't move, I heard Ezio shift behind me, and then he was beside me, one arm around me while the other was stretched out towards Guido. I watched as Ezio let his fingers gently stroke Guido's soft nose, making the creature shift his death-touched eyes. "Look at us," Ezio muttered, his voice quiet and his eyes lowered, "both of us old men, rugged and tired." He paused when Guido huffed, blowing air out of his nose. "I know we've had difficulties getting along over all these years, but I've enjoyed them. I want you to know something." Ezio reached up and scratched behind Guido's ears, a serious look overshadowing his face. "Narina will be safe with me. You don't have to worry. I promise."

Guido just...let go then. He closed his eyes against Ezio's scratches, moved his head slightly to nibble on my hand before he settled and sighed. His body stilled and I touched his soft nose, trying to see past all the blurry tears. "Goodbye Guido."

My body was shaking in violent tremors, and Ezio had to help me stand up. Jaufree briefly patted my shoulder as we walked out, my face splotchy and my eyes swollen with despair.

I wasn't in the mood to walk down to the sanctuary to unlock the armor now, but I knew it wouldn't do any good to go curl up in bed. Ezio would be able to comfort me if I went later anyway. But for the moment, I knew that he wanted to get the armor. So even when he let me go in the front hall, allowing me to go be with myself for a moment, I avoided the stairs and instead followed him through the architect office, Mario's study, and down the marble steps into the Assassin Sanctuary.

I tried to focus on the seal as Ezio placed it, trying to somehow memorize the sound of the stone scraping together. When the seal finally clicked into place, my attention was drawn to the caged statue, the clicking noise sounding there as well. When nothing happened for a long moment, Ezio began to advance on the cage, and then something screamed out like screeching metal. With a light shaking from the movement echoing through the ground, we watched in wonder as the metal bars started to rise. By the time they were risen up in the ceiling, Ezio was at the statue, staring upon the armor. His eyes were as bright as a young child's who was receiving a gift, and yet he hesitated before he reached out for the armor.

"Well?" I cleared my throat when my voice came out hoarse. "What are you waiting for?"

"What if there's...I don't know, a trap?"

"A trap?" I gave Ezio a 'are-you-being-serious-you're-an-idiot' look. "In your own house? Don't be silly."

"I'm just trying to figure out all the outcomes of this." Ezio looked around warily. "Wouldn't want to get smashed by nothing." He reached out slowly, allowing his middle finger to press into the metal designs on the brace, and then he took a hold of it, pulling it from its resting place. My curiosity finally flickered a bit, and I walked over to the statue as well, now able to reach up and touch the stone carved in the shape of a man. With one final rub to my puffy eyes, I helped Ezio pull the armor off of the stand, helping him brush off the dust and then putting the armor on. It was made out of black steel, harder than any stone, quite effective and very high quality.

"It feels so light for some reason!" Ezio exalted with a smile, doing some make-pretend jabs, laughing when the armor clattered together. "No wonder they locked this up! _Fantasico!_" I watched him do a few stunts about the room, getting the hang of the new armor and how it set upon his frame. It seemed like the size wasn't going to be a problem, almost as though they were made especially for Ezio. As the excited assassin finished his stunts, he wished to test out the armor further, and told me to go see him spar in the ring right quick before the sun disappeared.

As great as the armor was, as amazing as it was that the order before us had gone through all the trouble to hide it, something about it wasn't right. Having just lost my horse and knowing the feeling that the inevitable was happening, something about the armor reminded me much about the loss. It reminded me of the rain, of the far away dreams that I had pushed aside for the most part of my life. It made me feel like I was supposed to say goodbye.

Maybe that's why I decided the armor didn't look so great on Ezio.

* * *

**Short, short chapter.**

**School and Dragon Age: Origins have consumed my life at this point, so I apologize for this taking so long when it's not even a long chapter. I just decided today that I was going to finish this chapter. Sure, it was rushed, and I'm sorry about it. The next chapters should make-up for this, and if they don't...well, it doesn't matter because it will be the end. **

**As always, the chapter does have an important meaning. What it is, you'll have to decide for yourself.**

**Like I said before, I've been working on an independent story for a good portion of the year now. I may or may not post it up somewhere on the internet, but if I do, I'll make sure you tell you guys about it.**

**Thanks for reading! :3 And PLEASE review! : D**

***UNBETAED VERSION*  
**


	43. The Piece of Eden Final Chapter

**-And this is it, my faithful readers. The beginning of the end. Fasten your seat belts.  
-There were a lot of songs that I wanted to put for this chapter, so instead of choosing just one, I listed them all. It is the last chapter, so why not go all out? All of the songs that I put really helped me along during the story, whether it giving me ideas or helping me get into the writing mood.  
-I know I said there would be two more chapters, but...yeah. I didn't want to have to do that. So here's the whole last shabang! :3**

**Thanks for the reviews!:  
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* * *

"**Let us follow our destiny, ebb and flow. Whatever may happen, we master fortune by accepting it."**

**-Virgil**

* * *

**Is this the moment where I look you in the eye?  
Forgive my broken Promise that you'll never see me cry.  
And everything, it will surely change, even if I tell you I won't go away today.  
Will you think that you're all alone, when no one's there to hold your hand?  
When all you know seems so far away and everything is temporary, rest your head;  
I'm permanent.**

**-"Permanent" by David Cook**

* * *

**I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance.  
Never settle for the path of least resistance.  
Living might mean taking chances, but they're worth taking.  
Loving might be a mistake, but it's worth making.  
Don't let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter.  
When you come close to selling out, reconsider.  
Give the heavens more than just a passing glance.  
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance,  
I hope you dance.**

**Tell me, who wants to look back on the years and wonder where those years have gone?**

– "**I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack**

* * *

**And out here,  
I watch the sun circle the earth,  
the marrows collide in rebirth,  
and God's Glory praise.  
The Spirit calls out from the caves.  
The walls fell and there I lay...  
...**  
_**saved.**_

– "**Caves" by Jack's Mannequin**

* * *

**Chapter 42: The Piece of Eden (FINAL CHAPTER)**

The entire Villa was buzzing with heated eagerness. All were waiting for the unveil of the latest codex page—the _last_ codex page. I remember how on edge everyone was, fidgeting and mumbling at the period it took for Leonardo to work through the last cipher.

It had been three long years after the uncover of Altair's ancient armor, and those years had been busier than a beehive colony. We spent all our time over the year traveling all over Italy, using the ancient map to find all the codex pages. We learned that, with the collected codex pages, we would be able to locate the vault where all of our answers would be found. Ezio had eagerly made a mad dash to find the pages, finding exciting potential in the secrets the vault held. It had taken three long years, but finally we held the last page, which had been hidden in a ruin just outside of Florence, a place that we had always been able to reach so easily.

Upon our discovery, we called all the brothers and sisters to Monteriggioni to find out the secrets that have been kept hidden for ages. I spent long nights while everyone was there writing down strict and detailed records of what the codex contained. I also tried to ink down the process of how we were piecing everything together. It wasn't like I _wanted_ to write history, but Ezio decided he wanted to be like Altair and wanted to make pages of his own information.

I walked down into the study, leafing through a stack of papers—papers that I had studied a good portion of my life. "Here's the papers you asked for, Mario." I handed the man the worn documents. "But I keep telling you that they don't give any answers that we don't already have."

"Perhaps," he hummed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he held onto the stack. His appearance had only changed over the years with a few more wrinkles and more gray in his hair, but in my eyes, he was still the same old' Mario of whom I loved. "Maybe something is combined, though, much like the codex pages are!"

I pulled one of the chairs from the side of the room over towards the desk so that I could sit down. "Well, I guess it's worth a try. We've nothing better to do until Leonardo finishes that codex page."

"Exactly." Mario settled in his chair, placing the documents on the desk. I reached over and spread them all out on the surface, staring at all the words I had carefully decoded all those years before. I felt very skeptical about it all, for I had spent years and years studying the Palestine documents, and none of them really seemed intimately connected.

* * *

After a good two hours of looking at the ages, it was confirmed that none of it seemed very intertwined; however, something about the words that Tamair wrote in all of them and having read it all in one sitting, I was reminded of my encounter with Lucien; something about it all reminded me vividly of his tale about weaving a lie to hide and protect the truth. With all the years I had lived contemplating situations and reason of the famed power of Eden, I started to think about how everything should have—and _needed—_to piece together. The answer, however, seemed to be right on the cusp of my comprehension, teetering on the edge just so it seemed I was almost trying to deny it.

"Mario," I mused as he studied a useless diagram. His warm eye landed on me and I continued, "what if it is all a big lie?" I tried to seem thoughtful of it all, but I was more worried we were walking into our end.

I was surprised, however, when he sighed and leaned back in his chair, folding his worn and beat hands. "You know, I've wondered this as well. It is only human nature to question his tactics though, is it not?"

A trait that I knew too well; the outcome was usually never good.

"For all we know," Mario mused, raising his brow," we could have the wrong piece of Eden. Hell, it could all be a simple facade that we are not capable of seeing past!"

For some reason, his words were less surprising than they should have been, like I had heard them in a different form before.

"I've done it!" The loudness of the words caused me to jump in my seat and twirl around to stare down the hallway into the architect room. Leonardo came rushing down that hall, his lips spread wide in satisfaction. "I've decoded the final page, my friends!" With a sudden abruptness, I realized how much older Leonardo was—his blond hair growing twine-like and gray, his beard less trimmed than it ever had been before. I suddenly felt like I had been cheated, that the years I held in my hands were ripped too violently away.

Then it all happened so quickly: Tamair's final documents were pushed aside and the room was flooded with our comrades. I was pulled out of my chair swiftly by a familiar, tall figure as I was swept up to the front of the small crowd, facing the wall covered in ancient text, only one square missing.

I looked up at Ezio, who had me tucked under his arm. It all hit me that this was the final piece of the puzzle, and worst of all, I was afraid that we'd been putting together the wrong picture all along.

Gold met my eyes, matched with a grin that I had come to adore like my own personal sun. When had he stopped shaving in order to please me? When had I even started to_ like_ his beard? Why was I finding myself suddenly trying to grasp the years that had already passed? "Finally, we have done it Narina!" All the elder assassin's looked upon with with a proud gleam in their eyes, faces that had aged with the times and grown wiser than even Ezio's forty years could have accumulated.

That was the reason why. It was because I knew that this was the end.

Leonardo approached Ezio, holding out the codex page with that small, friendly smile. As Ezio took a hold of the page, it seemed like everyone in the room drew in a breath and held it. Ezio glanced over what the codex held before he stepped forward, out of my touch and toward the massive wall of information. Slowly and with extra care, Ezio fit the paper into its awaiting spot, and the wall was finally done.

In a silence, we all stared at it, trying to pry the information out with our eyes.

"Well?" Volpe said with an impatient wave of his hand. "Now what?"

"There must be something we're missing," Antonio murmured, staring closely at the codex closest to him. "There's still a piece that we do not posses."

"Or perhaps a trick of the eye," Paola conceded, tilting her head in though. "We need eyes better than our aged ones, apparently."

A thought occurred to me, and I reached out to grab onto Ezio's dyed-black robes, pulling him back to make him stand by me. Immediately, he lowered his head to my level to allow me to speak into his ear, already knowing that I wanted to tell him something.

"Eagle vision," I muttered to him, feeling his shudder at the feel of my whisper sliding against his skin. He said not a word and only gave me a slightly confused look before he turned back to the wall. The other assassins were all talking together for a moment as I watched Ezio's eyes flash and dilate, his focus evident. Then they widened in surprise.

"This...! _Magnifico!_" All the eyes in the room turned upon my assassin with curiosity. "These all form a map!" Ezio explained with an agape mouth. It's a large map a...a...the whole world! It even shows lands that do not exist!"

"Or perhaps lands that are not yet found," Machiavelli added in, nodding wisely at Ezio, making me wonder how he was so knowledgeable at his young age. "But our main concern for now is the location of the vault. Does this map show the location?"

Ezio turned his golden gaze back to the map. "_Si...Si!_ The location of the vault..." His eyes widened again. "It is is _Roma!_"

A lead ball dropped in my stomach making me feel slightly nauseated. Rome? "You are sure?" Mario asked with a breathless whisper, griping onto Ezio's arm while staring at the map up on the wall that none of us could see.

"Yes." Ezio turned to his fellow assassins, his brethren, his family. His face was lined with such seriousness that I felt as though something was terribly wrong. "It all ends with Rome, _mi amici_." And from the sound of it, something _was_ going to go wrong.

* * *

Although the night had been approaching, Ezio insisted that we head off immediately. A part of me wanted to stay in the safety of Monteriggioni, but I wasn't about to let Ezio go running off to face Rodrigo by himself. Mario agreed to wait until morning to follow us with most of the other assassins while Volpe and Antonio would come with Ezio and I. We packed what little supplies we needed, not wanting to encumber ourselves.

Before we rode off, Mario brought Maria and Claudia down to the stables.

Maria gave me a hand-knitted scarf that she had made herself over the years, a warm hug, and a motherly kiss on the forehead. "Keep yourself safe," she told me, holding my hands in between hers.

"I will. And I'll make sure Ezio will come home."

The smile she gave me then was so sad, like she knew a secret about Ezio that I somehow didn't know.

Claudia threw a hug upon me before I climbed up onto my horse. "I wish I could go," she murmured to me, her eyes filled with worry.

"I wish you could come along as well," I said with a smile and nod. "But you're needed here. To protect Maria and the townspeople."

"I know. But I still think I would be able to help." She hugged me again. "Please be careful, _sister_."

My eyes widened at the word, but I hugged her back as tightly as I could. "I promise I will do everything that I can to try and come back home." I was suddenly and roughly reminded of Tamair, his sad smile when he told me not to make promises that I could not keep. Closing my eyes, I tried to convince myself that I wasn't lying, that I would come home if I could help it.

And if I couldn't...then that's called fate.

* * *

We rode all night amongst the boys' excited chatter and outrageous theories of what we would find in the Vault. Although I listened to their conversations and laughs, I felt vaguely empty, almost as though I was worried over nothing.

I'm not sure how the men could stay up all night, but I surely couldn't. I made them stop, tie my horse to Ezio's horse and I climbed up behind my assassin and wrapped around him, resting against his back like it was my own personal bed. Volpe and Antonio found it funny and poked fun at us, teasing me for the way I clung to Ezio. Even though Ezio laughed with them, one of his hands lowered to mine and his fingers tangled with mine comfortingly.

I only slept a few hours before I woke up, cramped and uncomfortable. When I sat up, I knew something was wrong, and I tried to focus on my surrounding. Ezio and Volpe were riding to the sides of me, their heads turned away, but I could still hear the snickers.

Wait. If Ezio was riding to the side of me...My hands pressed against the torso I was hugging onto frantically, and then I realized that the frame I was now clinging to was a lot less broad than Ezio's. Panicking, I pushed myself away, gasping and then finding myself falling off of the horse over its back end, my own butt ending up in the muddy road, soaking my clothes.

As I tried to understand what had happened, the men all howled with laughter, doubling over in fits of chuckles. It finally struck me that they had pulled a joke on me by switching the horses (and also the body I was snuggling). Annoyed and now muddy and wet, I pushed myself up, stomped over to Ezio untied my horse, and climbed up on, ignoring their laughs and snickers.

"Ah, that was too funny!" Antonio murmured, laughing one more time.

"Narina, you're looking a wee bit dirty!" Volpe added in, his smile evident in his voice.

Gritting my teeth, I dug my hands into a tight fists around the reigns, trying to quell my anger, not wanting to lash out unnecessarily. A horse rode up besides mine, and I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Sorry, Narina, you'll get cold if you—."

"Leave me alone, I'm not in the mood right now," I spat, keeping my eyes on the path ahead of me. I was already getting pretty cold, but I didn't care. I didn't want Ezio to win.

"Well, fine, but I'll have a covering for you when it gets too freezing for you." The smugness in his voice was enough to make me want to spit in his face. If he thought that I was going to give in, he was sadly mistaken.

* * *

I ended up unhappy, but I didn't give in after all. I rode the rest of the day and night without a single complaint, even up to the point when the men started to set up the camp. Being the stubborn person that I am, I kept up my angry face whenever they tried to talk to me. Being the typical male, however, they didn't seem to sense anything amiss.

As Volpe started the fire, Antonio and Ezio tied up the horses, and for the first time all day, they had been serious and quiet for quite a few hours. And right as I was about to finally forgive them, they suddenly began to all laugh and joke around again, acting like a bunch of twelve year old boys. Sick and tired of it all, I stood up and walked a ways from the camp, up the slow incline of a small hill. At the top, I found myself amazed at the view below me, a seemingly never ending stretch of rolling hills, swaying meadows, and articulate stone structures. Southern Italy was still quite the marvel for me, for I had only seen it a few times in my entire lifetime. The green hues of the nature below me seemed to glow milky white in the moonlight. It was all so beautiful that it actually weened my anger a bit. I inhaled the night air, allowing the crispness to revive me.

"_Salute_, Narina." I jumped at the voice and turned. Ezio stood directly behind me, close enough that his body heat radiated off of him and reached out to me. Not saying anything, I turned back to the view and simply stared, the anger bubbling up just enough to make me blind to beauty. It surprised me when his arms snaked around me and his breath curled around my ear. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" When I felt a kiss press into the side of my head, somehow all of my built up anger washed away. Just like the snapping of fingers, I melted in his arms.

"Yeah," I whispered, leaning back into his arms, a beacon of comfort. "It's so strange how the country looks completely different than it does up in the North."

He hummed, his hands interlocking at my stomach , his overgrown beard prickling my skin. "Are you still upset?" He asked after a short moment.

I could have told him that I was and then draw out the fight just a little longer, but for the first time in a long time, I didn't want to fight. I didn't want to do this.

"No," I whispered, my eyes lowering. "Not really."

"Good." His hold tightened. "I don't like you being mad at me—yet, I insist on pissing you off all of the time."

I smiled. "I know. It's part of your charm." He chuckled at my words, and then he suddenly swung me over his shoulder, making me cry out in surprise and then join in his laughter. I realized then that I had been jealous that I hadn't been involved on the joy before, and I was happy that I was now. From the fire, I heard Antonio say "don't drop her, old man!" and then there were laughs all around the small camp area, an echo of laughter from our younger days. After a few more spins, Ezio grunted and sat me down, falling down on his butt in the grass. "It's true," he huffed. "I'm getting too old for this."

I sat down next to him, leaning against his shoulder as his arm automatically looped around me. "It's okay," I said, pressing my cheek against his shoulder as I gazed up at him. "I'll still love you when you're all wrinkly and too old for me."

He laughed lowly, pressing his lips against my forehead. "You're just as old as me, _mi amore_. We'll be old together, won't we?"

Even when I tried to respond, I could only smile. I felt myself somehow shying away from words; instead, I looked up at the infinite amount of stars in the night sky. The moon was bright enough to blot out a few, and dark, wispy clouds stretched across the light.

"It's scary," Ezio whispered to me, as though he were afraid the other two would overhear.

"What is?"

"How close we are," he explained. "We've spent the past twenty three years chasing down information, and now...it seems almost like a dream, it's so unrealistic!" He paused as his grip tightened, almost as if he were afraid I'd disappear. "Now that I understand, it's like I'm too weary to actually take a hold of my goal."

I allowed his words to settle for a moment, taking acknowledgment of his meaning before I spoke. "It gives me comfort to know that there is always something more to do, even after our goal is met. There is always something more to reach for."

His face turned and pressed into my hair, his breaths calm and his heat embracing. "What if I already have all that I want once the goal is met?"

I smiled. "Then you lived a life of gold—no, there will always be something more that you wish for, my husband."

He kissed me then, cupping my chin in his fist, an apology for all of the tricks as well as a promise that he'd never want anything more than he wanted me.

"Don't be silly," he murmured in my lips, a smile blossoming upon his mouth, reassuring my assumption of his intention. "I love you, Narina."

"And I you," I whispered, staring up into those golden hues.

"Hey, love-birds! There are other people around, you know!" Both of us turned and pinned a glare on a smiling pair of assassins. "It's enough to make me ill!"

"Oh, shut up," I yelled back, rolling my eyes. "So immature, it's like I'm traveling with a group of boys!"

"Now you sound like my mother," Antonio jeered, making an extremely stupid face at me, making it even more hard to be annoyed.

I opened my mouth to make a smart ass reply, but Ezio chuckled and said, "My friends—and_ wife—_that is quite enough." He stood up, pulling me up with him. "We've a long ride tomorrow. Let's rest."

"And the Apple?" Antonio asked, seriousness flooding back in a split second.

Ezio patted his pouches. "Not one worry—it is safe."

With that, we all crawled into bed, the boys snoring within moments. I spent a good half-hour awake, studying the stars and the warmth that rooted within me from Ezio holding me closely. I didn't know whether it was because I realized it was almost over or if it was something I had eaten, but I felt nauseated again. For some odd reason, it was all extremely unfair for the end to be so near.

* * *

During the next day of riding, something had vanished into the night and it left me feeling very empty. Or it may have been the light drizzle of rain that made me upset. Either way, it happened to everyone else too: no one had been too happy to wake up with water sprinkling on them. Trying to keep me well, Ezio gave me a blanket like cloth to cover myself with, trying to keep the cold out, which failed, but it was the thought that counted.

We went about three hours I the rain, miserable and frankly very peeved. When the sun finally decided to make its appearance, almost immediately everyone's attitude improved dramatically. Antonio opted to shove me nearly off of my horse, but it was all fun and games and I playfully shoved back, not becoming upset with his rough tactics. We all stopped and ate lunch, laughing and avoiding business for as long as we could afford.

They convinced each other that we would ride into the night, hoping to at least get Rome in sight. We stopped again only once to eat really quick and allow the horses to rest before we started off again. It was a long while after sunset when we finally saw the ginormous city of Rome, glittering like a star from all of the candlelight.

The boys all became very serious again as they began to discuss the plan.

"Where is this vault, exactly?" Antonio asked, riding alongside of Ezio. "We don't want to simply charge the city and end up having to look through all the little nooks and crannies."

"I'm not entirely sure," Ezio admitted. "But I _do_ know that Rodrigo would know."

"Great job, Ezio," Antonio mused with a snide tone. "The hap doesn't tel us where Rodrigo is."

"Actually, we _do_ know where Rodrigo is," Volpe cut in, swerving his horse towards Ezio to join in on the conversation. "Rodrigo Borgia became the Pop a few years ago. It's a good bed that he will be in the Cathedral, yes?"

"Exactly." Ezio grinned, but his voice had grown dark and the shadow of his hood beaked further over his face. "It's time to end this."

I panicked. "Wait, don't you need to rest before you go charging in and get yourself killed?"

Ezio cast a brief look as he shook his head. "No."

"Ezio," I reasoned, "we've been riding all day and well into this night. If you go there now, you will be killed!"

We had a stare down when he looked at me, as if he were trying to see if I had an alternate intention. Finally, he turned away. "You've always been my voice of reason, haven't you?" I saw his hands clamp tighter around the reigns. "Fine. We rest for a bit and start into the city at the break of dawn."

* * *

Everyone knew it best not to poke fun at Ezio tonight. Even as we all settled down in a secluded area, Ezio stayed up and stared at the city, his arms folded and his armor clipped on tightly, almost as if he were expecting an attack.

"He's eager," Volpe observed, making me turn away from Ezio and gaze at the man. "But he's also quite nervous. He won't let his guard down when we are so close."

"Still the young man who is rash on the inside," Antonio added. "That beard doesn't change anything." He snickered and elbowed me in the side.

Ignoring him, I kept looking at Volpe. "He will fall if he does not rest—why can he not see that?"

"Giovanni was much the same," Volpe explained. "The sight of their goals blind them and create an illusion that they are invincible. I've always called it the Auditore curse."

"No, it's called human pride," I said with disgust. "I've watched it ruin many lived and it leaves death upon it's wake."

"Talk to him, then," Antonio suggested. "You've gotten him to go to bed before, haven't you?"

I finally reached over to the smiling assassin and jabbed my forefinger in Antonio's pressure point, making him cry out and flail away from me. "This is serious!" I snapped.

"Do go and talk to him, Narina," Volpe agreed, without the smart-ass tone. "He tend to listen to you over our words."

I nodded. "Okay, fine." Before I walked away, I slapped at Antonio when he sat up, rubbing his neck. I then approached Ezio, who had his eye strained on the flickering lights of Rome. It seemed almost wrong to disturb his concentration, his determination to see this to an end. Slowly, I linked my arm with his and stood next to him, laying my head against his arm. "You okay?" I whispered.

He didn't' say anything for a moment, like he didn't even know I was there. Then his eyes lowered and he whispered, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"What's on your mind?"

He paused again. "I want to finish this now," he whispered. "I want to understand why all of this has happened, why we've spent our lives chasing down this man." He sighed. "I know it for my family, but what are his motives? Why haven't we been able to understand our enemies?"

I squeezed his arm, pressing my lips into his robes. "You need to rest," I commented, holding his arm tightly. "Rodrigo is a tricky opponent—you need to be in top condition to face him."

Ezio looked down at me then, his face wary and his eyes determined. Only smiling, I lifted my chin and stood on my tip-toes to put myself closer to him. He saw what I had wanted and leaned down to kiss me softly. "Please. For me," I murmured against the kiss.

Finally he gave in with a sigh. "Fine." We walked back, hand in hand, to the camp, sitting down on our sleeping pallet. As we settled, Antonio cleared his throat.

"What's the plan, then my friend?"

"Rodrigo is the Pope now," Ezio reminded him. "He'll likely be giving morning mass at the cathedral—if we can time ourselves right, we can break in the middle of a sermon and strike."

"Killing the Pope won't be so easy as you make it to be," I pointed out. "I bet the Cathedral is crawling with guards."

"That is nothing we cannot handle," Volpe concluded. "Antonio and I can create a distraction elsewhere and draw a good portion of the guard away from your path."

"And we can handle whatever comes out of that," Antonio mused.

"Then Narina and I will take what paths we can to get inside. There must be a way in from the roofs."

The plan settled for a moment. "So we're all set then? We're ready to end this?" Volpe asked.

"_Si_." Ezio shot up from his seat, and I opted to press my knuckle in the back of his knee, making him buckle under his own weight.

"_Tomorrow_," I stressed with a frown. "For now, we all need to rest."

"Yes, _mother_," Antonio whined, dramaticly flopping over, making me smile in response. Ezio sat back down, obviously peeved that I was so persistent about resting.

"Don't look so sour," I whispered to him, unbuckling his armor (and for a split moment, I actually _did_ feel like his mother). "Do this for me now, and..." I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his neck as my fingers traced little circles at his exposed collarbone. "I'll make sure you're _well _rewarded."

Since I knew Ezio so well, it didn't surprise me in the lease when he lifted his hands to me and tried to convince me to reward him right then and there. I managed to pull away and give him a stern look. "Later. You must sleep now."

Pouting like a small child would when denied candy, Ezio pulled off the rest of his armor and tugged me down with him.

"Fine, let's to to _sleep_," he said in a mocking tone, tucking me into his arms. Giggling at the implication that I had won this battle, I twisted around in his hold and hugged him tightly as a thank you. He returned the hold, kissing the top of my head. A little while later, I heard both Volpe and Antonio settle down, grunting and sighing as they settled into their beds. Once everything quieted down, and I was on the cusp of sleep, I could hear the noises from Rome faintly drifting through the air, the chatter of people, the creaks of the carts, the sound of horses shifting in their stalls even. The smell also wafted daintily on the air, making my face twist in disgust. Burying my face in Ezio's chest, I inhaled his musky scent and fell asleep thinking about what in the world was going to happen once everything was all over.

* * *

My stomach was all in knots as we rode into the huge city of Rome at the break of dawn. Not one of us had woken up with a smile or jokes—it was all business now. We were all equipped and ready to make the final blow, ready to end this the way it had started—with death.

When we found a stall, we dropped off our horses and continued on foot, moving through the crowds that were already there for the early morning. I could tell that Ezio was trying not to cause a distraction, leading us through the shadows and staying clear of any guards that might have caught us otherwise. I must have forgotten from my earlier trips to Rome, but the place was _ginormous!_ It seemed that no matter how long we walked in one direction, the city still stretched on before us. Not to mention how many buildings there were—if it weren't for Ezio leading me along, I would have gotten lost long before.

We must have lost an hour searching for the Sistine Chapel, because when Ezio stopped and announced our arrival under his breath, the sun was starting to peak over the mountains. The building was breathtaking, a true epitome of artistry and wonder, the marble structure seemingly glowing in the dim morning light. The singing of the church-goers floated out of the doors and into the street, creating a sense of peace and serenity. I knew better than to believe that though, for it there was any peace within, there wouldn't have to be the massive amount of guards standing about the chapel, showing that breaking in was almost impossible to do. _Almost_.

Ezio turned back to look at Antonio and Volpe. "Are you ready, then?"

The two looked at each other, then nodded to Ezio. "_Si_. Whenever you are."

"It looks like the entry way is the most heavily guarded," Ezio observed, looking across St. Peter's square and over the building again. "If you two can distract them, then Narina and I can scale that wall there" (he pointed to the building to clarify) "and we'll be in."

"And then what?" Antonio wondered. "I do hope you have thought this through."

"Then Narina and I are on our own," Ezio announced, shifting his gaze so it was on me. He must have seen the uncertainty in my eyes, for he reached out and took a hold of my shoulder, giving a gentle pressure as if to reassure me. "We can handle it."

Although I tried to smile, I couldn't, so I simply nodded.

"Best of luck, then," Volpe said solemnly with a nod.

"And don't die on us," Antonio added with a half smile. "That's the last thing we need right now."

"Same goes to you," I said, surprised that my voice was suddenly working. I reached out, and Antonio automatically reached back, taking a firm hold of my hand. "If either of us don't turn out, then I will say goodbye now."

Antonio nodded as he shook my hand, some sort of emotion akin to sadness flashing in his eyes , making me push back the wave of tears. Then he pulled me into a quick hug before him and Volpe were dashing off, jumping from shadows to crowds, blending in. I could only watch them for a moment, uncertainty dwelling within the regions of my stomach before Ezio tugged me away from my spot.

I pushed away all of my concerns and focused on our mission, on scaling the extremely tall wall of the chapel. I waited until Ezio started climbing first, finding a path that we could climb before I attempted. It was very difficult while I was climbing to try and keep an eye out for any soldiers down below that might catch us. I could only imagine how sever the punishment would be if we were caught trying to break into the Sistine Chapel. Finally, I watched Ezio climb over the top edge of the wall, standing up on the top of the chapel like the beautifully carved statues that stared down into St. Peter's square, and I clamored right after, catching my breath as I realized was too out of shape to be climbing like a monkey up buildings.

We weren't allowed much time. Even from our high point over the court, we could hear the commotion of the guards below, obviously our comrades ruffling some suspicion. Though our backsides were now covered, the alert caused the guards on the roof to become more aware of their surroundings, looking for trouble-makers, or, in other words, Ezio and I. They spotted us only moments after our ascension.

"Follow me," Ezio told me in a rushed whisper before he turned and began to run down the walkways along the outer rim of the roof for the guards to keep a close look out. I only briefly looked at our pursuers, who were very angry, very well armed guards. Sucking in my tiredness, I shook out of my stupor and began to run after Ezio. As we were running, I realized at the end of our path was a group of guards waiting for us with weapons drawn. Without even really thinking, I braced myself on the low wall of the walkway, flinging over the edge and landing on a lower roof that capped over a lower walkway I watched as Ezio continued into the group, both of his hidden blades poised and readied to be bloodied. A few of the men that had been following dropped down with me, their eyes flashing with determination to kill me. The first man swung his sword, and I ducked down, rolling away as I dodged. It was like in slow motion as I watched his swinging arm reveal a weak point. Like a cobra bite, my knuckle hit the spot with immense force and precision, dropping the man as he gasped for breath and flailed against the tiles of the roof.

The next man was confused at the fall of his comrade, and he was taken off-guard as I knocked his arms away, making him lose his grip on his sword and it flew away. Taking advantage of his opening, I hooked my leg around his and pulled it out from under him, flinging him to the ground. His head made a nasty _crack_ against the roof, but I tried not to dwell on it as I jabbed my heel in his side, causing him to cry out in surprise and his rolled over in pain. Feeling myself getting back into the fighting groove, I wheeled around and quickly scaled the wall back to the walkway, where Ezio was finishing off the last of his fight.

There was no time wasted—with only a simple look to each other, we continued around the walkway, dealing with the guards that approached us. We cleared the roofs, and with the smoothness of a tiger, Ezio flung himself down over the edge onto the roof as he tried to peer in for a closer look. When I managed to get a good look myself, I saw that the hallway was lined with monks wearing dark robes, all of them talking quietly.

"We need to get into a lower room to enter into the church area," Ezio whispered to me. He grunted as made a move to drop down over the edge. "Stay here. I will be back." Then he disappeared as he artfully swung into the lower walkway, not even noticed. In the meantime, I kept my gaze out for any guards that might appear on the rooftops.

It wasn't long until Ezio came back, a cloth folded over his arm. I realized that it was one of the dark robes the monks were wearing. I gazed up into Ezio's hood as he handed me the robe, catching his golden eyes.

"What's this?"

"A robe for you to wear," he explained. "It will be easier for you to get in if you're in disguise—the place is too heavily guarded for us both to try and break in at the same time."

I looked down at the robes in my arms, a heavy material that weighed more than what was necessary. "Where did these come from? You didn't kill anybody, did you?"

"Of course not." Ezio pointed down below. "He's just taking a quick nap for now." Then he reached out and began to help me pull on the robes, bunching them up enough and using a strap of cloth to tie it up like a belt so that the material didn't cling and give my figure away. Ezio reached into his hood to grab the red tie that gathered his hair at the nape of his neck, and used it to pull my dark, wavy hair away from my face. Once my hair was pulled back, Ezio lifted the hood of the robe over my face. "Keep your face down and don't speak with anyone," he instructed, bending over a bit to peer into my hood. "With this, no one will even think to look at you twice." I jumped at the feel of his fingers suddenly running along my jaw line. "You will be safe."

"Then I give all of my luck to you," I whispered, lifting my head and kissing his bearded chin. "Please be careful. I will meet you in the Sanctuary." He pulled me into a warm embrace then, as if he worried it would be the last time such a thing could happen. I tried to convey all of my love into the squeeze I returned, but he pulled away too soon before I felt sufficiently thorough. We both dropped down into the lower level then, in an area where luckily no one was walking by or paying attention to. Ezio hid behind a pillar and gave me a gesture of his head, telling me to go on ahead. Nodding briefly, I cast my attention to the long hall ahead of me, the monks all talking amongst themselves. I could see a few guards at the end of the way, next to a door. I summoned my courage, bent my head down, and began to walk forward, pressing my hands together to act as though I were contemplating something. I made it past the monks without even a second glance from any of them. When I got to the guards, however, I had trouble.

"_Ehi_," one of them muttered as they watched me walk up. I tried to keep my gaze down as innocently as I could, hoping that my small frame could pass of as one of the younger brothers. When I tried to walk past, one of them grabbed my arm and pulled me to a rough stop. "Hey," he snapped, making me catch my breath in surprise. "Where are you going?"

I knew if I spoke, I'd give it all away, so I waited patiently, trying to find a way to get myself out of it. "The Sermon?" The other one asked, and I gave a mental sigh of relief, eagerly nodding. "Well, then, be careful. I heard some strange noises up on the roofs a while ago." I nodded again, keeping my face down.

"Boy, look at us when you're spoken to!" I gasped as they shoved my shoulder, making me snap my head up and gaze into the aged face of a rather peeved guard. But his face fell into confusion as he stared at me, taking in my facial features. "Wait a second," he murmured, his eyes narrowing, and I literally almost felt my heart stop in fear. The next thing I knew, the man dropped, gasping and clawing away at me. The other one dropped next crying out in pain, and I stared down at my feet in amazement. When I recognized the throwing knifes lodged into their chests, I immediately played the card of a scared boy and cried out, running through the door and down another hallway. The other monks that had been in the had were not far behind me, a flurry of questions and surprised horrors spewing from their mouths. A part of me was thankful, but the more logical side of me was furious that Ezio could have taken such a risk. Now the whole chapel would know of an Assassin being within the area, which would make Rodrigo wary and give him enough time to escape or hide.

The next hall I went down, however, was calm again, no sign that they were aware of the Assassin that followed. Perhaps if I could travel faster than the news, I would be in the home stretch. I quickly walked down the hall, weaving between the brothers as I slipped into another room, one that had stairs that twisted down to the lower level. The cloth around my waist had loosened, and the robe was starting to hang more freely off of my frame, giving away a few curves. I hoped that no one would pay close attention.

As I walked along the next hallway, I nearly ran into a tall robed man who was standing and laughing with another monk. He must have felt my presence near him for he turned and gazed down upon me. "Ah, pardon me," he murmured in a very strange accent, telling me that he was a foreigner. He didn't seem very surprised to see my face, obviously taking me for a very young boy who hadn't grown more manly features.

I made the mistake, however, of responding back with a "it's nothing." I saw his face twist into confusion as he peered at me closer, so I swiftly looked back down and continued past, hoping he wouldn't call me out and cause attention to focus upon me. Before I disappeared in the flow of the monks attending the service, I heard him say to his fellow monk, "Who was that boy? He was surprisingly...pretty for a young kid." Then I melded back into the crowd, and a wave of relief washed over me, knowing that he didn't suspect me to actually be a girl, and a older one at that. Amongst the other brother's of the Sistine Chapel, I felt a little bit safer and not so worried about being found out. They led me swiftly and safely to the Sanctuary.

Ezio must have had the same plan as I had about being faster than the word of our arrival—no matter whom I listened to, I didn't hear the word 'assassin' once. I shuddered at the thought that perhaps Ezio killed everyone that had been on that level, but I shook my head no, knowing Ezio would do something so reckless and coldhearted. All went quiet as we walked into the room, trying to allow the words to flow loudly through the Sanctuary. Even if I was too short to see over the crowd and look upon the man at the front, I could still tell that this was exactly what I had been hoping for. I recognized Rodrigo's voice anywhere, and it made my jaw clench. It was time to end this. I knew that if I tried to push to the front, I would risk having Rodrigo see me and recognize me, so I tried to stay near the backside of the listening monks and people. The words that the Spaniard was preaching were tuned out as I maneuvered around, trying to find a safe spot to wait and assess. Finally, I found a spot near the side and towards the front where I could have a clear view of the man while remaining hidden.

Rodrigo had gotten old—as we all had, of course. The hat upon his head was hiding what I concluded to be a rather bald head, adorned in robes of holy white etched with golden symbols. In his hands, he held a staff that seemed to be carved from gold. It occurred to me that it may have been another Piece of Eden, especially when I considered in the Codex pages it read that there was more than one piece. And judging on the way that he held so tightly onto it, it was definitely a possibility.

Something made me look up, like an urge or a second nature. My eyes widened and then quickly lowered when I saw a dark figure perched upon the rafters near the ceiling, hooded and perched as if waiting for it's prey to drop it's defenses, like a eagle judging his attack before it was executed. My heart skipped a beat in both anticipation and fear, knowing that if Ezio timed it just right, this would all be over within a matter of minutes.

All hell broke loose when I saw Ezio leap from his perch, his hidden blades both extracted and ready to kill. Someone in the crowd cried out, then everyone was pushing, shoving, trying to get out of the room by the time Ezio had landed and stood up straight in front of Rodrigo. I tried to go to Ezio's side, but the flow of the fleeing people, prevented me from doing so for a moment. I watched from as distance as Rodrigo simply smiled at my assassin and Ezio was surrounded by guards in the next moment.

"Ah, Ezio Auditore. How nice of you to come all the way to _Roma_ to visit me." The guards took out their blades and stood as barriers around Ezio. "I am not in the least bit surprised to see you here."

"This is where it ends, Rodrigo," Ezio spat, drawing his own sword. Finally, the crowd was mostly gone, and I was able to throw off the thick robes. More armed men ran through the door, completely ignoring me and going to Rodrigo's side.

"You're right," Rodrigo agreed with a disgusting smirk. "You'll join you Father and brothers soon, I can promise you!" He then raised his hand in the air, taking a step back. "Kill them both."

The screaming of metal clashing against itself rang out in the room as all the guards rushed in on Ezio, their blades clicking together loudly. Kicking the robes aside, I rushed to aid Ezio, taking advantage of all the guards that had their backs turned towards me by kicking the back of their knees as hard as I could, breaking a few legs and knocking down the rest to turned towards me with one or two jabs of my fingers. The method continued until I was standing beside Ezio, who gazed at me briefly before he returned to his fight, artfully dodging and counterattacking his opponents. Together, we were able to beat down a good portion of the guards, and the rest were next, but then Rodrigo called out for them to stop.

"It's like the saying goes," he growled out, "if you want something done, you better do it yourself. Step aside fools!" They obeyed, but most of them stayed in the room. Ezio reached out and pulled me behind him as Rodrigo placed his staff aside and grabbed a sword from a dying guards hand on the ground. As Rodrigo looked into the blades reflection, he smiled. "It seems like just yesterday I saw you two standing at Uberto's door, in much the same position." My eyes narrowed as I remembered the day as well, the dark robed man standing behind the bastard that sentenced my family to death. His throat had been slit, and it was only fair that Rodrigo's would be too. "Now look at you both, grown up and thinking you've all the knowledge in the world." His eyes shifted to Ezio's waist, gazing at the various packs hooked to his belt. "You've saved me the trouble of hunting down The Apple again, however, and I must thank you for that."

An audible growl formed within Ezio's chest. "You'll never lay a finger upon it again. Bring it on, old man."

Rodrigo smirked again before he launched towards Ezio, who shoved me aside as he leaped back to dodge the attack. "Ezio!" I started, angry.

"Stay back, Narina," he snapped back, keeping his eyes on Rodrigo. "This is my battle now. Go find Volpe and Antonio."

"How touching," Rodrigo mocked as he swung his blade at Ezio again. "How much you care for this woman never ceases to amaze me. Too bad it gives you an unforgivable weakness. Guards!" Rodrigo called out, shocking me. "Kill her!"

I saw Ezio snap his head towards me, but I gave him a look that said I was more than able to defend myself. "Don't worry," I told him as the guards surrounded me.

My attention was brought roughly back to my opponents, one of them stepping more forward and angling himself for an attack. I easily dodged his thrust, ducking down and pushing all of my weight upwards as I allowed my fist to thwack against the man's jaw. The contact created a rather large thud, the man grunting loudly as he fell back, knocked down.

At the sight of their fellow guard down, the other three yelled out loudly, giving me a sure sign that their attack would be delivered soon. Despite that little factor, they were quite adept fighters. It took all of my concentration to merely dodge their attacks let along actually fight back. One took me by surprise as I was jumping away from one of the others swing, catching a hold of my shirt with the edge of his blade. Pain jolted through me as the blade sliced into my shoulder, the hot blood dripping down my arm, staining my sleeves. The blow also knocked me off of my balance, sending me sprawling to the ground. Trying not to show my pain, I held in the urge to cry out and cup at the wound. Instead, I quickly rolled away and pushed myself up in the same movement, trying to regain my footing as quickly as possible.

The three were already back upon me, their blades pointed at me. The fourth was already recovering from my blow to his face, sitting up and shaking the pain from his head. I gritted my teeth as I realized this was a bit more bite than I was able to chew, but I wasn't about to admit that openly.

As the fourth joined his friends, and they all started to circle me, hoping to find an unguarded opening, I allowed myself to assess my enemies. All of them wore armor that effectively covered their necks and collarbones, not allowing me to press my more favorite pressure points. My fingers curled in anticipation as I continued to look for a spot of weakness. Much to my dismay, most of the more effective spots were covered with thick leather or armor, not allowing any leeway there. The only spot that I could see even possible of reaching and executing effectively was their ears or the backs of their knees. I swallowed back my fear. They would have to do.

Finally, one of them made the first move, trying to take me by surprise by attacking from behind. But I had heard his breath hitch and his armor move, and I ducked down just in time, missing his horizontal swing by mere inches. I tried my luck and swiveled around, reaching out and gripping the man's leg, taking him by surprise instead. Then, with all of my strength, I held onto knee, pressing my fingertips into the well known spot. Even though I had been pressing through his boot, he still cried out and buckled, nearly falling on top of me, but I reached forward and pushed him backwards.

I twirled back around before I could watch him drop, and I used the same movement to launch myself at the next guard, taking my chances and reaching up to pinch the top curves of his ears as hard as my little fingers could press, hoping that it would somehow be enough. Surprisingly, he yelled loudly and tired to squirm away, dropping his blade in the process as his hands flew to my wrists to try and pry them away. I used his misfortune to my advantage and I let his ears go to grab his head between my hands. Since he was writhing in pain, he made little of a fight to resist me as I brought his head down and bashed it against my raised knee, like I had seen Ezio do before. The disgusting noise and feel of his nose busting against my kneecap made me nearly regret doing it, but my mind was otherwise occupied.

The last two guards were clearly intent of making pay for their comrades pain, and they both rushed towards me, blades poised to strike. I had to jump back to miss one of their swings, and, much to my surprise, the swing continued through its wide, sideways arc. I watched in horror as the blade sliced into the side of the other guard. The two stared at each other in surprise, almost as if to see if it had really happened. Then the attacked guard took a step back, dislodging the blade and then he fell, lifeless, to the ground, one of his vital organs obviously pierced.

The last remaining guard seemed so appalled that he had killed his fellow fighter that he seemed to have forgotten all about me. I very nearly attacked then, but the man dropped his blade and stared down at the body with wide eyes, his lips trembling and his face pale. _They must have been friends,_ I thought sadly, seeing the torment the man was putting himself through. But he _was_ my enemy, and instead of inflicting major pain on him, I simply walked up behind him and raised my experienced fingers to his neck to press a spot I knew would knock him out cold. He buckled, then fell forward on top of his bloody friend. Something inside of me wished to comfort him, but my thoughts were interrupted by a loud groan, a too familiar groan. I wheeled about and gasped in horror when I saw that Rodrigo had a knife buried to the hilt in Ezio's stomach.

"Ezio!" I cried out, taking a step forward. Then I heard something behind me, but it was too late. Something thwacked the back k of my head, so hard that it made stars explode in my vision and my muscles all rebelled and I fell to the ground. The pain came by that point, and I curled up in a tight ball as I clutched at the back of my skull, trying to ease the fires that were scalding me. My stomach did a complete flip when I realized that ere was warm ooze bubbling through my fingers. My breaths were harbored as I squirmed around trying to find any way to take away the pain. I knew that I should have knocked out the first guard I had dealt with—the hilt of his sword did quite a number on my skull.

No, no! This couldn't be the end! I looked up through my pain, finding myself staring into the eyes of a teary girl, curled in a fetal position—my reflection in a mirror that was on the wall. I also saw in that reflection. Rodrigo retreating across the room, his staff in hand along with a pouch from Ezio's belt; the apple. He was obviously leaving us to die on our own, to allow us to squirm and suffer. When I tried to will my hands to leave the gash in my head, another burst of pain engulfed me and I cringed into a tighter ball, closing my eyes to the pain.

I tried to concentrate on my breathing, trying to calm myself, the pounding at the back of my head so loud that it made my concentration spin. Nothing seemed to make any sense; I couldn't tell which way was up or down, which side I was leaning on, or even how much time had passed. No matter how much I wanted to be able to understand, nothing would.

This couldn't be it. Rodrigo couldn't win.

And then, through the confusion, acknowledgment cut through the fog, words that seemed to pierce my core and somehow numb the pain. It was Rodrigo's voice, loud enough that it was like he was whispering right in my ear, but his breath could not be felt.

"O' Gods of Almighty power," he spoke, cutting and even clearer path through my confusion. My stomach clenched as the words took full attention of every fiber of my being, my mind stilling at the words. "The protectors of the Garden; the Guardians of humanity..."—my breaths were suddenly shallow and quick, and my eyes clamped shut. Somehow the words took a firm hold of my body and had me enchanted like a small child would be with something pretty or shiny—"turn thy merciful gazes upon me, listen to my reason and witness my intentions," Rodrigo's floating voice continued, abruptly making me realize that his words—this prayer—was very familiar. But it made no sense; we had never retrieved the ancient prayer from Cyprus from the Templars. But then how did I feel like I knew it by heart? "Judge me truthfully with thy knowledge and know that I seek refuge in they hold." My chin started quivering and my eyes stared to tear up in the moment of anticipation of his next words, like I was trying to hold something back, but his words would not allow me to do so. "Awaken," he breathed softly, "and hear my plea."

Everything suddenly collided, like all the stars in the sky pressed down and fused with the earth in such an intense manner that I was momentarily lost, swept away by all the motion. Spiraling, spiraling...I felt as though I was about to burst.

Something within me snapped then, like the thunder rolling with the sky or the shattering of glass. Like a dam had been broken in my head, images suddenly flooded my mind: humans bending their heads, shaking upon their knees as they clasped their hands together and stared up at me with pleading eyes...I was gazing down upon a metropolis, giant buildings that hummed with activity, surrounded by a flourished garden, a paradise that no one deserved. I shook my head slowly, knowing only too well what would happen to this beautiful world, to my wondrous garden...Fires, smoke, simple yet brutal destruction all around me as I clenched my teeth and fought with my own kin, defending those who brought on the war in the first place. There was nothing that I could have done to stop it...The world was covered in the bittersweet reality of the end. Nothing remained, yet all was laid before us within time's wake. The water lapsing over me caused my breath to hitch and I allowed myself to be pulled into the safety of ignorance...Thousands of years of faces, neither friend nor enemy, and no matter what period of time, the hatred and greed of humans repeats itself withing the rebirth...Upon the sands of the desert, a man adorned in white robes standing beside me, staring at me as his golden eyes glimmered within the shadow of his hood, his lip scarred, but his outstretched hand was welcoming, an agreement of sorts...Altair and Malik defending their order, fighting for what they had learned was right, even in the corruption of one man's heart. They were ready to face the world and all of it's flaws...A man, wearing the blackest of robes that matched his midnight hair, hung from a rope tied around his neck, his eyes dazed and his body limp. A sea of red stained the ground below him, my hand painted as well, the cause of all the death in front of me. I had known that killing all of them wouldn't have brought Malik back, but I had lost control of myself and showed how unstable power truly was. The rain reminded me that I was never going to forgive myself...Altair gave a goodbye to me with a brief nod, gripping my arm as a promise he would do as I had asked, that I would be protected in order for his own safety. The creation of the lie was already upon his lips and inked down to fool future seekers of the power of Eden, and the Creed was reborn...

It only took a single moment for all my memories to clamor back to me, piecing together everything and the world made sense once more, even more so now. My eyes flew open as the last piece settled, and instead of seeing the blue-eyed girl within the reflection, I saw a creature with eyes that glowed inhuman gold, full of intangible knowledge and godly power.

It all made sense, then. The creature smiled slightly, but it was anything but happy, and the eyes faded back to blue, creating Narina once more.

My head no longer throbbed and the blood no longer flowed. With slow movements, I sat up, staring at my reflection, a face that I had claimed for all my life, and although she was Narina, I knew she had no real name.

I looked over then at the Assassin trying to push himself up off of the ground, his hand clamped to his side. Even though there was a lot of blood, I now knew that it was no mortal would, and that Ezio would be fine. The dried blood in my hair and on my arm flaked away as I stood up and made my way over to Ezio.

I knelt before him, taking a closer look. "Are you okay?" I asked, staring up into his hood.

He huffed for a breath before he nodded. "Yes...yes I am fine." He smiled smugly at me. "His aim is no better than a drunken monkey's."

A laugh bubbled up through my lips, an automatic response to the man, but I found it extremely shocking that, despite how many other relationships I had had, I still adored the man as much as I had, if not even more, before. When he sat up straighter, I threw myself upon him, holding him close and knowing that he was one of the special ones. If I could help it, I wanted him to stay safe and happy.

He hugged me back momentarily before he pushed me away. "Where's Rodrigo?"

I sat back form him, pulling him up with me as I stood. "This way—follow me." Since he _was_ injured, I didn't' pull him along too fast. I walked to the back of the room, approaching a stone alter placed there. I let go of Ezio as I knelt before the stonework. Without really much of a thought, I allowed my fingertips to brush the underside of the lip of the stonework, finding a small divot to which I pushed in. There was a loud click and then a faded creaks as the alter began to move, sliding back into the wall.

"A secret room?" Ezio asked, astonished. "The Vault?"

I laughed. "No. I'm afraid not. Come." The moved alter revealed a staircase that dropped down at an alarming steepness into a long hallway.

Before I could take the first step, Ezio grabbed my arm and pulled me to a rough stop. "Narina, how did you know this was here?"

When I looked back at him, his brow was furrowed accusingly, but a fired curiosity lit in his eyes.

A smile spread my lips. "I have a lot of things to explain, Ezio, but now is hardly the time. Let's finish this." My words caused my smile to disappear as I realized the severity of it. This was actually the end, and I knew it. Placing that knowledge aside, I turned forward again and stepped down onto the stairs, reaching the bottom and waiting for Ezio to follow slowly behind, helping him down. The alter above wheezed out in protest as it moved back to it's spot above us, cutting off the light from the sanctuary.

Ezio allowed me to shift under his arm to help him walk along. The hall opened up into a large room, a giant circle. At the midpoint of the circle stood Rodrigo, the staff thrown to the side, his body quivering noticeably I felt Ezio tense and I let him go, allowing him to stand on his own. He seemed surprised that he was even able to do so, curious as to where he had gotten the extra energy. Before he could ask or wonder aloud, Rodrigo growled and whipped around, holding out the apple accusingly.

"You've tricked me!" He screamed, then he threw the useless artifact aside, the metal ringing out in the room as it bounced and rolled away. "It's no more powerful than any other metal ball!"

"It's about time you realized," I said with a smile, walking forward. "As a matter of fact, it's about time that we all realized."

"What do you mean?" Rodrigo demanded, his eyes narrowing.

Before I could give my cryptic answer, not really going to give me the right answer, Ezio once again pushed me behind him as if to protect me from Rodrigo's harsh expression. "Don't drag her into this," Ezio demanded. "No more tricks, weapons, or aid. It's just you and me, Rodrigo." At that Ezio began to strip off his weapons, obviously intent on beating Rodrigo with nothing but his own fists. Ezio was ten times in better fighting condition than Rodrigo, so I was somewhat surprised to the false Pope accept Ezio's challenge and he threw his sword away. Perhaps he thought that the power of the Eden had still somehow reached him, but that was not true. Some people proved to be quite fools when blinded by anger and greed.

I saw that I was not to be a part of this fight, but I felt the need to contribute nonetheless. Before Ezio stepped into the battle, I grabbed his wrist, making him look down at me. All I had to do was feel his pulse under my fingertips, feel his life coursing through his veins, and I gave him a small smile, feeding the power within me, offering him a spark he hadn't felt since his youth. His eyes widened as he felt the raw pulse rush through him, but I let him go before any questions could be asked. "Be careful," I whispered before I took a step back. I saw the confusion in his eyes, his hand on his wounded side that had suddenly stopped bleeding, and he stared at me with wide eyes, finally seeing the changed within me.

Me having glanced over at Rodrigo made Ezio focus on the battle he had provoked, and he turned in a way so that I was behind him once more. They both raised their fists and began to circle each other slowly, their eyes narrowed and their knuckles white from balling their fists so tightly. Ezio took the first swing, and Rodrigo blocked it with his forearm, taking the blow with no more than a little grunt. I could see the wave of Ezio's punch ripple through Rodrigo's body, breaking down the defenses oh so slowly.

"Tell me why!" Ezio demanded as he threw another punch at Rodrigo. "Tell me why you have gone through all of this trouble for a simple legend!"

"You understand nothing," Rodrigo spat back, swinging his own punch after he dodged Ezio's. "This goes beyond everything either of us know! The vault holds all of the secrets, and with all of those secrets, I could finally have the power to do away with those I despise!" He grunted as he took a rather harsh hit from Ezio's knuckles. "With the power of the Gods, I will rebuild the world!"

"And yet you've been misled!" Ezio snarled. "You killed my family all on some chance that there _might_ be ancient artifacts!" The anger flashed wickedly in Ezio's eyes, his hatred roused from the darkest parts of his heart, and he lunged at Rodrigo, knocking the old man to the ground and the assassin landed on top, his hidden blade extracted. "You deserve nothing less than death, you bastard!" He bellowed, the blade shimmering in the light pouring from the high crevices from above. Rodrigo's face was pale and his eyes were wide in fear of his own life being taken.

It was more than enough. Taking a life because of another having their life stolen was no excuse to kill, and I had learned it the hard way.

Taking a firm hold of Ezio's shoulder, I felt him tense up under my touch. He looked up at me, anger still flooding those golden cesspools. I breathed out calmly, and in response, I watched the anger be set free, like it was sucked out of him. "Killing him won't bring them back," I whispered to him, giving his shoulder a light squeeze before I moved to kneel down beside Rodrigo. The older man was staring at me now, those wide eyes filled with not only fear, but also confusion that I had stopped Ezio. Even if I hated the man with all of my heart, even if he had taken precious lives away, I knew that only killing him would make us like him. That was something history never seemed to understand. I knew there were other reasons for the man to be killed, but for Ezio to kill him in his blind rage seemed like a vicious circle.

Instead of killing him, though, I touched his eyes with my fingertip, each lid closing at my touch. It was all that was needed and he was out. I stared at him for a moment, then sighing internally as I thought that it was men like these who made everything so necessary and tedious.

I looked up at Ezio, who was staring at me quietly, questioningly. Instead of answering his unasked questions, however, I dipped my chin down to Rodrigo. "Help me move him."

Still not saying anything, Ezio complied and stood, helping me haul Rodrigo over our shoulders and moved his to the side of the room, laying next to the discarded metal apple and the staff.

"What now?" Ezio asked lowly. "If we don't kill him, now what?"

I reached out and took a hold of the front of his robes, looking up into his calmed eyes. We didn't say anything for a long moment, and I felt oddly out of place as I suddenly wished that time hadn't sped by so quickly, more quickly than I had ever experienced before. No matter how often I had said the words, I couldn't bring myself to tell him what had to be done. Instead, I tugged a little on his robes. "I want to show you something," I whispered. Then I let go of him and turned around to look to the middle of the room, the center of the large circle. In the floor was a twisted and spiral design etched into the floor. Without looking at Ezio again, I walked forward until I was standing at the design.

I studied the twists of the stone work for a moment, taking slight comfort in its familiarity, but also feeling doomed and utterly alone. Taking a deep breath, I held out my hand as I stared at it for a moment, feeling as though I should be quivering, but I was held steady. Then I twisted my hand around and pressed it down so my palm laid flat against the design. My eyes closed in concentration, gathering up all the thoughts in my head and turning them towards the feel of my skin against the etched designs.

A bolt of energy coursed through me, and I opened my eyes as the crevices in the floor shifted, dust erupting from them in little clouds of smoke. The ground under me shifted, then began to move, making me stand straight and take just enough retreating steps so that I was standing just out of the circle. Ezio joined me and took a hold of my arm, not sure what was happening, but was ready to defend me if needed. I looked up at him as the floor began to move away, revealing a deep hole in the floor that dropped about ten feet. In one of the curved walls of the circular hole was a giant door way, a hallway leading further under the chapel. Ezio glanced at me momentarily, then had to quickly look at me again, his face falling into shock. His hand slackened from around my arm, and I could see the glow of gold in his eyes, a reflection of my own. Then it dimmed, and disappeared, giving my blue eyes back, and I looked away slowly, not wanting to deal with this now. But I knew that it was time.

The circle was gone now, having shifted into the floor around it, and without another word, I sat down at the edge of the hole then dropped down. I landed with a rough grunt then stood up straight and looked back up at Ezio who was still staring at me with that lost look in his eyes, his lips parted in confusion.

Taking a deep breath, I flicked my head back, gesturing for him to follow. "Come with me. I want to tell you the truth."

I didn't like the distant look in his eyes; he was looking at me like I wasn't his little Narina anymore. The silly pressure of tears pushed on my eyes and I held out my hand to him. "Please." I was ready for him to be distant and quiet, and I didn't blame him for it; he must have thought that I had intentionally kept my mouth tight against my secrets when in reality, I didn't really mean to, and even if I had, it would have been to protect him. Without a word, he dropped down into the hole and stood straight, continuing to stare at me with no emotion flitting across his face. My hand slowly dropped as I accepted his uncertainty. So I found myself surprised when he walked forward again, closer to me until he stopped right in front of me. The hand that he reached up with was shaking slightly, and he took a strand of hair hanging across my cheek and tucked it behind my ear. Then his fingers blanched and he cupped my cheek in his palm, tilting my head back so that I had to look up into his eyes. My own hand reached up and covered his, gripping onto his fingers as if to tell him that he needed to trust me now more than ever.

His golden eyes were filled with troubling thoughts and questioning wonders, trying to sift through his thoughts to try and figure out what he was supposed to think and believe. "What truth?" he whispered, his fingers threading themselves back in my hair.

"The truth about everything." I took a hold of his arm and pulled it down so that I could hold his hand lower. "The truth about the Pieces of Eden."

I was grateful that he didn't ask any questions before I had even started; he simply stared at me again, his fingertips pressing into the back of my hand as he clung to my hold. With that, I smiled softly and sadly at him before I tugged him down the large hallway, which was darker than any night until I took a step onto the metal flooring. Like a ripple in a pond, the light erupted from small circles pivoted in the wall, lighting the entire hall in a unnatural light. Ezio's grip tightened as I looked up at him staring at all the lights in wonder, the shimmers glinting in his eyes. I couldn't help but smile as I watched his eye-wide wonder.

"They're like the stars, aren't they?" I whispered to him.

With one last gaze upon the lights, he looked back down to me, his eyes still guarded but his overall feeling trusting. "_Si_," he whispered, even giving me one of his small smiles, drawing my attention to his scarred lips.

We began to walk again, so slow that it would have normally drove me crazy. But I didn't want to get to the end of the hall too fast, knowing that there would await something that neither of us would want.

"Back in the ancient days," I began in a low voice, my eyes pinned on the darkness that stretched in front of us, waiting for the energy to be lit up as I got closer, "back when the Garden of Eden existed, there were Gods and humans who lived amongst each other." I paused, throwing a look up at Ezio. "Funny thing, though—the Garden wasn't exactly a specific place in the world—it _was _the world. Anyway," I continued, looking away again. "The Gods used their powers to aid the humans and help them advance themselves in technology and flourish in health. It was almost a paradise."

It made me happy when Ezio joined in willingly and without much hesitation. "Almost?" He asked in a whisper. I began to wonder if he thought I was kidding, but there was no way I would be able to tell.

I continued anyway. "The power of the Gods wasn't given to just anybody. The humans had to appeal to the Gods to receive their wishes. Depending on how grand the want or desire was, the Gods would either lend them a helping hand or judge and turn their gaze from the human who was not considered worthy." There was a moment to let him take in all the information. "Not all Gods turned a favorable gaze upon the humans," I pointed out. "There were only a few to whom the people would pray to."

Ezio's brow furrowed. "Did the prayer Rodrigo have...was that the same prayer?"

A short laugh busted from my lips, a scoff. "More or less," I allowed. "These Gods were able to see into the people's hearts and judge them to be worthy of their help or not. Even though a lot of the people were not deemed worthy of their intentions, they still favored the Prayer Gods, finding them a beacon of comfort and trust." My hand tightened around his as my thoughts turned to the more darker parts of my filled memories. Ironically, we had reached another portion of dark hall which again lit up at my first step. "However, there were humans who were filled with desire and greed, and they sought to take the power of the Gods for themselves. They believed that they did not need the Gods to govern them, that they would be able to do it themselves." I glanced up at Ezio, who was staring intently at me, and I could very nearly see the thoughts meld in his head. "So," I mused with a darkened tone, "the humans allowed their greed to override their sense and they rebelled against the Gods.

"The Gods were, as you can imagine, furious that the humans were risking everything to try and take their powers, that they were taking everything that the Gods had given them and tried to blatantly shove it back like it wasn't good enough. Enraged, the Gods called a war—all humans were to be removed from the Garden."

Ezio's eyes lowered in his consideration, like he was trying to fathom it all, before he looked up with a half-grin on his face. "Well, that was stupid for the humans to do. Suicidal."

"Yes," I agreed, raising a brow as I suspected again that he did not truly trust my words. "Well, it should have been, anyway. But..."

"But?"

"The Prayer Gods saw it all in a different light," I explained. "They had spent years gazing into the human's hearts, and they could see that not all of them were so greedy. They saw that humans had the potential to be good and to do well if given the right amount of time. So they fought against their own kind alongside the humans, trying to convince the other Gods that there was hope in the beings lives. However," I stated slowly, shuddering, "the Gods wouldn't listen. Even when the humans turned the technology that the Gods themselves created against them, the Gods still did not let up. With the help and power from the Prayer Gods, the humans were able to gain the upper hand in the war." Gazing up at Ezio again, I gave him a slight shrug. "After years of fighting, the humans won." His eyes widened in surprised at that. "Before the Gods all dwindled off, however, they destroyed the Garden, all the luxuries, all the paradise so that all was in ruin. Nothing of the Garden of Eden remained except for the Prayer Gods who had won with the humans. They were the last Pieces of Eden." I pulled on Ezio's arm until I was hugging his arm tightly. "They are the _true_ Pieces of Eden."

"They are?" Ezio questioned, his brow furrowing, his arm flexing under my hold. "They still live then?"

Ignoring his question for the time being, I continued my story. "With the Garden and all the technology gone, the humans, tired and worn from War, begged for the Prayer Gods to give it all back to them. They weren't stupid, though. Although they had fought with them, the Prayer Gods refused to help the humans, telling them that they had the potential to create their own paradise, their own lives. Without the Gods to command them, they were capable of everything and anything they wanted." Solemnly, I gazed forward again, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and I had to swallow back the fear that threatened to choke me. "The human's greed knew no bounds, so they sought for more, pursuing the Prayer Gods power despite their help against the others."

"Was killing the Gods the only way for the power to be taken?" Ezio wondered, his question more serious this time than before, his eyes locked up on the growing light ready to greet us.

"No," I admitted. "But with that prayer they spoke to the Prayer Gods, they found a way they were able to awaken the raw power within the Gods and they used that for their own will." My brow dented downwards. "They planned to use the Gods for all their desires, something hardly acceptable—especially towards a God that saved all man-kind." My brow smoothed again as I took a deep breath. "Still,"I whispered, "they all promised that they would make sure humanity wouldn't make such a dire and wrong choice. To avoid the greed of the humans, to try and convince them that starting anew was the own way, the Prayer Gods blended in with the humans and went into hiding in plain sight, giving the humans gentle nudges towards excellence and prosperity. Only enough to spark new ideas, however—they would not do the work for them.

"Gods live forever," I pointed out, looking up at Ezio. "Though, they are not necessarily immortal—a knife to the heart would kill them, and they bleed just like any other creature. When they started to live amongst the humans, though, they had to age along with the humans around them so they wouldn't raise suspicion. To start over in a life, they decided on something that would give them a rebirth of sorts." We finally walked through the end of the hall, into the blinding light. I gave Ezio a moment to adjust to the brightness before I continued. "They made it so that whenever they were submerged in water, and they used their powers along with it, that they would be 'reborn.'"

As the difference in light adjusted, we found ourselves in something akin to a large field, swaying, green grass and a roll of a hill that seemed to embrace a small pond that was sparkling in the glimmer of light that almost materialized from nowhere. A few small trees breached through the still air, but no shadows fell from their forms, giving a strange sense of unreality. The area stretched to a large circle before it was swallowed in darkness that edged the sides. Ezio pulled away from me a little bit as he gazed around, his mouth agape and his eyes wide. "Where are we?"

"They get a little homesick sometimes," I whispered, letting my arm drop from Ezio's, allowing my gaze to drop down to study the tufts of grass that tickled at the soles of my boots. "The Gods created spots within the World that reflected what their world used to be. Ezio, this is the Vault."

Ezio looked at me, stunned. "This...holds all the answers?"

I smiled in a sad way as I shook my head. "No, it doesn't work like that." As Ezio looked back at the small area of peace and calm, I stepped forward. "The only reason this vault is pursued is because it holds power. Although I am not entirely sure how, I'm sure the humans thought that they could seize the power here for their own. The truth was buried and retold as a lie years ago, though, so it doesn't surprise me that they think this is a holy place that will answer all their questions."

He didn't look at me as he reached up and pulled down his hood, staring intently at the pond of water. Then he looked over at me, his eyes filled with anguish as I inferred he realized just what was happening. "What do you mean a lie?"

"Were you not surprised to find out that the Pieces of Eden were actually people?" I gave him another half smile, giving him an incredulous look. I shook my head before he could say something more. "The history of the war over the Garden of Eden disappeared over the thousands and thousands of years, turning into a myth and inane story. However, there were still those who hunted the Gods and their powers. A lot of the Gods were killed over the years because of their immense knowledge. In order to blend in even more, a lot of the Gods started...well, forgetting. Every life that they lived, they wiped their memory clean so that they could start clean. Not all of them did, but it was pretty effective."

A brow raised. "So, they start a life all over from infantry? They live whole lives just to start over again?"

"Not always, no," I explained with a smile. "Every time they start a new life, they can choose where and when they start over. If they need a family, they can manipulate people to make sure that they are not questioned and they are accepted as a part of the family." Ezio walked to my side again, taking a hold of my hand as if the strange area made him cautious. "The God's duty then was to protect mankind, then, even if it meant walking along with them."

Ezio's brow furrowed. "Sounds like what the Assassin's stand for," he pointed out.

A memory flashed to me, and it caused a small smile. "It was the same for years, until the late 1100's. 1191 to be more specific."

Ezio looked down upon me, his head tilting. "Altair's time?"

"Oh yes," I said with a small laugh. "Altair changed everything. He and Malik figured out what the real pieces of Eden's were, and in order to protect the Pieces from the greedy hands of others, they created and spread the lie that The Pieces of Eden were ancient artifacts that the Gods held in their hands. The Creed itself changed within the lie's wake, too—they started to fight for the uprising of humanity. Then, once the lie was inked down and whispered about, Malik's family decided to devote their lives to personally protecting the Pieces of Eden, to be their guardians of a sort." I stopped and an image of Tamair laughing and poking fun at me flashed in front of my eyes. "They've been taking care of the Pieces of Eden ever since," I whispered. "Tamair was one of those guardians, you know."

Ezio stared at me for a long moment, very intently. "And they did this just because they were good people? You're not telling me everything Narina. How do you even know all of this?"

I tilted my head. "I thought for sure you would have guessed it by now."

His eyes gained a rather sad glisten within them as he reached up and took a firm hold on my shoulders. "I want to hear it from your mouth."

My eyes lowered to stare at one of the leather belts at his waist, the symbol of the Assassin's that was strapped onto his belt, before I looked back up into those golden eyes that I loved. "I'm a Piece of Eden, Ezio," I whispered, my stomach knotting and the tears finally filled my eyes. "I was there during that war years ago fighting for humanity. I've been hunted for my Godly powers. I've been hiding my secret from myself for thousands of years now. I met Altair and Malik and convinced them that I needed help in protecting me and my kin, and in return, I would help them better the outcome of humanity and make sure they did not destroy everything." Taking a deep breath, I looked away from him at into the darkness that seemed to be kept out by a simple bubble. The tears were streaming down my face. "I have loved, and I have hated. I have done everything that any human would be able to do so many times that I cannot even remember all of them." I paused, reaching up and rubbing my eye with the back of my hand. "I'm sorry."

He was silent for a long moment, his hands frozen on my shoulders like I had told him exactly what he had feared the most. For some odd reason, I felt ashamed, like I should have been able to tell him even if I hadn't known all of it myself.

"Our enemies don't know this, right?" His voice was just a whisper.

"You saw Rodrigo," I told him. "He just believes that we gave him the wrong artifact. I'm pretty sure he still believes the lie."

Ezio nodded slowly, his thumbs starting to rub slow circles in my skin. "Then we can still play the charade," he whispered hopefully. " If we play our cards right, we can continue to trick our enemies and have them follow some inane lie and..." he stopped when he realized that I was shaking my head.

"No," I whispered, biting my lip and feeling the tears build up again. "No, we can't." I shrugged out of his hold, brushing past him. I found myself studying the ripples of the waters, knowing that somehow, they told an even more important story than I would be able to recall.

"Narina?"

I shook my head again. "Ezio, I told you that those looking for the power are able to spot their desire easily. Having thousands of years on your mind makes you stick out like a sore thumb." A sigh bellowed within my chest and I let it out slowly, feeling the tears drip down my cheeks again. I felt his presence behind me before his warm hands cupped around my shoulders once more, rubbing up and down slightly as if to comfort me.

"I can protect you," he whispered, the pleading in his voice making my stomach clench even more.

I tried to bite back my trembling lip, taking a deep breath through my noes. "It's not that," I whispered. "I have to do this." Turning in his hold, I took a hold of his hands and held them tightly, staring up into his eyes. "This is where we say goodbye." I nearly choked on the word, and I felt like I was about to crush his hands that I was holding on so hard, and even though I knew I had to, I never wanted to let go.

It broke my heart when he shook his head. "No, we don't," he said gruffly, his face set hard. There was a conflict raging in his eyes. "Didn't you tell me that I could always find a new goal, that there would be something more that I would desire? Well, this is it. I want to protect you—I don't care against who, just...just stay with me," he pleaded in a low whisper.

No matter how much I wanted to tell him that I could stay, that I would live the rest of his life with him, I knew that it would never be the same and it wouldn't end well either. Still, I complied to my urge, and I raised my arms to wrap around his neck. Automatically, he held me against him and kissed me deeply, his pleads still evident within the contact. My fingers curled into his thick hair, and I let my tongue trace his scar that had known him for as long as I had. Perhaps it was rude to give him such a promising answer, but I pulled away slightly. "There's some things that no matter how far you stretch, they'll always be just beyond your reach, my assassin."

It must have hit him then. Throughout all the years that I had known Ezio, I had never seen such a devastated look come over his face. I didn't have to look at it long, for his hands suddenly seized my face and he was kissing me so emotionally, so deeply, that I felt my breath being pulled out of me with every kiss. I started crying then, too, knowing that neither of us were ever good with goodbyes, that we had seen too many of them in our lifetimes, and that it hardly seemed fair that we now had to say it to each other.

"Please don't go," he whispered again and again, the desperation hinting in his voice, the panic rising with his pulse. "Please, Narina. God, I don't think I can..." His brow furrowed. "What about our life? What about all that we fought for together? I'm not going to let it be ruined just like that!" He was trying so hard to find a way for me to stay, but I knew already that there were none.

Trying not to make it more difficult than it had to be, I pulled away again, sniffing back the emotions trying to pry their way out of me. My hands pressed against his jaw, feeling his beard against my skin, and I stared into his eyes intently, trying to make him understand. "Ezio, this isn't about you and me anymore. It's about the whole world, all of humanity." A sob busted forth, and I clamped my eyes shut, leaning forward and pressing myself to his chest. "You have to let me go," I whispered brokenly.

I had many loves over the years, many lovers, and even many husbands. But Ezio was one of the rare few who made me want nothing more than to be a human and have a normal life. It was never fair that I had to take it away from them, too.

There was nothing to say, but I wanted to talk with him until the words wouldn't come out anymore.

There was nothing that would make time forgive our past errors, but there was nothing I wanted more than to hug him until eternity drifted away.

In reality, I knew there was nothing we could do, and that this was the end.

"Please," he whispered again, his breath warm as it ran through my hair.

My time was slipping away, and I knew I had to finish this. I pulled away from Ezio, staring up into his eyes, filled with sorrow and anguish, the pain so intense that there were actually tears brimming his lids. The knowledge caused me to nearly collapse, but a bolt of energy flushed through me and gave me enough strength to carry on. "I need to ask something of you," I murmured, caressing his brow with my fingertips, trying to memorize his every facial feature so that I would never forget.

He turned his head and kissed the palm of my hand. "Anything," he muttered against my skin.

Blinking, a few more tears fell and my lip started to tremble again.

"Do not look for me," I told him softly. And then I pulled away.

A single tear fell down his cheek, disappearing into his dark beard as his gold eyes met mine once more. I could see his world fall down all around him as he blindly reached out for me again, only succeeding in grabbing my hand. He squeezed so tightly that my senses cried out in displeasure, but I ignored the pain and pressed my fingers with his for one last time.

With a certain thought crossing my mind, I smiled softly and pulled my hand from his. My right hand met my left as it began to pull off the golden band that had sat on my third finger for years. Ezio's expression didn't even change as he watched me study the ring, holding it in between my forefinger and thumb, and still there was no change when I grabbed his hand and pressed the golden ring into his hold.

"Give it to the next girl who melts your heart," I said with an encouraging smile, though more tears fell.

There was a moment pause where his eyes shifted down to the ring before his hand closed over it in a tight fist

Then he looked at me, his eagle-like eyes piercing into the very depths of my soul, billowing with so much emotions that I wasn't able to recognize them all, the one tear's streak shining lightly in the bright, unnatural light, his hair tied back in the same low ponytail I had always seen it in, his beard a little bit longer than what I liked it and with a certain defiance that told me he meant it from the bottom of his heart, he said "I love you so much, Narina, my wife, my best friend." Then softer. "I'll always love you."

I smiled, sobbing loudly, before I replied, "And I love you, Ezio. More than you will ever know." Then I let his hand go and took a step away from him. Finding it suddenly hard to see through my tears, I turned away and took a step towards the pond, taking a deep breath as I prepared myself to be thrown into the darkness once more.

"Goodbye," he said, his voice cracking, and I couldn't bring myself to even look at him then, not wanting to see him breaking down.

"_Addio,_" I managed to whisper back without my voice cracking.

Then I was stepping in water, through the pond. Soon I was wading as the cool water soaked my clothes and sent a chill up my spine. When the water started to lap around my chest, I stopped and looked back, finding Ezio staring at me intently, his fist still clenched and his mouth set in a straight line.

Whatever he must have thought of, it allowed him to smile a somewhat true smile, like he was trying to tell me that he would be okay. "_Grazie,_" he said with a nod and a wink, making me swell with happiness to see that perhaps he would really be okay, and that no matter how it had turned out that it was all worth it.

One last smile was all I could offer before I closed my eyes and fell backwards into the water, engulfed in the chilling liquid. As I sank, I felt something reflexively branch out within my core, and almost as if I was starting to panic, I thought of everything I had been through with Ezio, from the moment I met him and Federico, to the moment where I had seen him cry, trying to hold on just a little long. But it seemed the harder I tried to concentrate on something, the more I would forget, and soon, feeling numb and cold, the last thing I remembered was Ezio's smile and that damned scar on his lips.

* * *

When I finally came to again, I wasn't in the Roman Sanctuary. Instead, I was standing in front of sturdy shelf, stained darkly, and rows and rows of neatly placed titles were before me. My fingers were still upon one spine of the games. This strange feeling in my stomach twisted and my mind throbbed with the ache of knowledge that suddenly filled it. Along with the thousands and thousands of years that I had lived up until 1500, I also gathered what information I experienced through 1500 to 2011. So many lives of lost loves, complicated issues, and depressing natures passed before my eyes that I felt dizzy. Reaching up and touching my head, I stumbled back and leaned back against whatever came up behind me.

"Whoa," I heard, then hands pressed against my back. "You okay, Kayden?"

My eyes slowly opened. Kayden.

"Yes," I hummed, finding it somehow odd that I was speaking English instead of Italian. "Yes, I'm fine. I just became really light-headed all of a sudden."

"Do you need to sit down?" The girl that had been talking to me tugged me aside, sitting me down on a soft surface, her face appearing before me. When I saw her face, I immediately thought the name Libby. Slowly, very slowly, things started to come back to me, and I remembered just where I was, what I was doing, and what life I was in.

"Can…." I whispered. "May I have some medicine? My head hurts."

"It must have been all the frosting on the cake. It musta' made you sick," Libby said, standing up and turning towards one of the boys, Tad—the birthday boy, I remembered. "Do you have Ibuprofen?"

"Yeah, in the bathroom medicine cabinet." He threw me a weird look when I gazed at him. "You look like hell, Kayden"

"You're all pale," the other boy, Wyatt, added in.

Finally, it all came together, and I composed myself immediately. I smiled. "Oh, I'm fine," I said, putting a little slang in my accent, matching their lazy English. "I'm jus' tired. It's been a pretty long day." Libby walked back in the room with a glass of water and a bottle of the medicine in her hands. As I took a few of the pills, swallowing them down with water (and no longer needing them since my head stopped pounding), Devin, the other girl in the room; her phone started to ring and she answered it.

"Hey mom," she said. I watched her listen for a while, putting in a few 'ohs' every so often, and then she sighed. "Okay. I'll be home soon." She hung up the phone and answered everyone's questioning gazes. "My mom says that the Archibalds came over for a movie marathon and they want me home."

"It's getting late anyway," Tad said, nodding knowingly. "Are you taking Libby and Kayden with ya'?"

Devin looked at Libby and I. "I don't know. Am I?"

"Sure," I said, standing from the bed. As we all filed out of Tad's room, I couldn't help but glance at the familiar red and white spine that stuck out in the library of games. It comforted me to know that the game was full of lies and holes; I didn't really want anyone to know about what really happened. I felt like it wasn't for anyone else's eyes but the people who were involved in it. I didn't really want to share my memories anyway.

* * *

It was probably only a few minutes out of Alpine that it all hit me once more, what I had done to Ezio and how I had lost all that I loved. And how it was now only a memory. I started to cry loudly, bending over in my seat and pressing my face to my hands. Devin had slammed on the brakes and both her and Libby were staring back at me—I could feel their eyes on me. When Libby climbed into the back seat to rub soothing circles in my back as Devin started to drive again, I felt my gut clench so uncomfortably. Not only was that wonderful memory of Ezio a thing of the past, but I would have to forget it once more, and this, for some odd reason, truly made me sad. I suppose that I was never really good at trying to let go of my memories. Lucky me.

I still feel bad for making Libby and Devin deal with me on that half hour ride home. The tears had stopped, but my daze had not, and no matter how much Libby asked me, I felt as though I couldn't answer her questions. By the time we had gotten to my house on the other side of Star Valley, I had stopped crying, and my tears were all dried up.

Finally, I heard Libby's words. "Kayden?" She whispered, staring at me. "What's wrong?"

Sniffing, I rubbed at my eyes and sighed. "Oh, nothing. The years are just going by so fast." I stared up at the ceiling of the car. "Have you ever gotten that feeling where you want to go back into the past to relive a precious memory?"

Libby's eyebrows raised. "Well, sure. You mean like nostalgia or something?"

"Yeah." There was a small pause, and I finally sat up straight, sighed and smiled lopsidedly at Libby. "Sorry—I must be close to my period. I'm getting all emotional."

"What are you so concerned about?" Devin asked, turning around in her car seat to stare at me. "What exactly are you wanting to relive so bad?"

I shifted around in the back seat, lifting up the front seat so that I could get out. "A memory that is far too long ago for me to worry about, that's all," I explained, smiling down at Devin as I stood out of the car. Libby climbed out after me, intent on getting shot-gun.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Libby asked.

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"Well, text us if you feel like you need to let someone to know," Devin offered, leaning across the middle console in the car to look up at me. "We're here for you."

"Thanks you guys." I smiled at them, bid them goodnight and then turned up on my sidewalk I walked up to my front door to my big, gray house, then paused, glancing over my shoulder to watch Devin's car's red tail-lights fade off down the highway.

My hand slipped from the door handle, and slowly I walked back down the sidewalk, staring up at the night sky, gazing at all the stars so high up in the sky, the cool night air dipping against my face. Even though I knew that it couldn't be possible, I could almost feel myself standing next to a certain assassin, his heat seemingly next to me and trickling along my skin. But when I looked to the side, no one was there—only the dark shadow of the tree next to the sidewalk. I soon found myself sitting down on the concrete, my knees drawn up to my chest as I assessed the pattern of the stars.

Even if it had been a life that was far too long ago for me to worry about, that didn't stop the longing to return once more to my Assassin's side. And I didn't want to have to forget it all again.

Slowly, I stood, breathed in a deep daft of the cool air, and then turned on my heel, walking into the house. The T.V was on, glaring brightly about the room. At the sound of my entrance, my father sleeping on the couch jerked awake, his eyes wide as he stared at me when I kicked off my shoes.

He relaxed, his aged face melting into a smile. "Hiya Kayden How was the party?"

I kicked my shoes away so that they were out of the way. "It was fun," I whispered. Normally, I would have sat down and talked about what we did, but I just wanted to get some sleep. The world didn't seem as much fun when you had lived it for over thousands and thousands of years.

He sat up on the couch, stretching. I felt my face drop in sadness when I was roughly reminded that this man wasn't really my father. His mind had been manipulated to think that I was his real daughter, and I felt a loss at the knowledge that this was all a big facade. It didn't seem very fair that I couldn't have a real family like everyone else did, something that I was truly envious of in humans.

"I'm going to go to bed," I said slowly as he stood from the couch. "It was a wild day."

"I'm sure." He walked up to me, kissed my forehead, and led me out of the living room, parting at the hall when I headed down it to my room. "Goodnight, Kayden"

"Night, Dad."

I slipped into my room, closing the door behind me softly. Alone and feeling some solitude in the dark, I finally sighed out loud and covered my face in my hands, feeling the utter loneliness from the thought that I had lost everything I cared about hundreds of years ago and there was nothing that I could do about it now besides wading through my memories and longing to rejoin them.

Crossing the room at a slow pace, I soon collapsed upon my bed, wishing that I could have landed upon my usual snuggle buddy. I laid there for a long moment, trying to focus on the sound of my father walking about upstairs instead of the thoughts that plagued my mind. There was a moment where I realized how far the human civilizations had come along, all the technology I hadn't seen in thousands of years finally resurfacing—it had been such a long time that I hardly knew how to work them anymore. Then I thought of the War that I was partially responsible for, one that I had been hiding from for nearly my entire life. Sighing loudly, rubbing my eyes warily, I rolled over onto my side, curling up in a ball and trying to lose myself within the darkness.

When the house went dead silent, though, I couldn't help but remember something that made my heart swell gratefully, and I sat up quickly. My ankles crossed as I folded my legs, my hand reaching out into the dark for the light that I knew was there. When the lamp was turned on, I rolled over on the bed, standing up as I crossed the room, walking to my dark dresser. Upon it was a small box that I usually kept small trinkets, such as rare coins and pretty rocks. I opened up the box, using my finger to prod through all of the things I had in there.

For the first time the entire night, a true smile spread along my face as I found what I was searching for. I pulled out a smooth golden ring, a small, clear gem enfolded in twisted designs of the gold, holding it in place. It was the very same ring that Ezio gave me six hundred years ago.

I was about to put it on when I stopped, slowly turning to my right. I was met with myself hanging on the wall, a reflection in the mirror. The sight of me, short hair to my shoulders, flat-ironed straight, make-up smeared around my eyes, my face round and young, a small dark mole under my right eye. Looking upon the person in the mirror, I was abruptly reminded that I wasn't Narina anymore. I was Kayden Trying to tell myself otherwise was foolish, and I knew that all things had to push away so that I could live my life and continue in secrecy. I was never good at keeping secrets anyway.

Even if I knew it was wrong to try and convince myself that I was still connected to a life long ago, I decided to humor myself, and I slipped the ring on my third finger. It was a little small, I noted with a frown, the food here in the modern ages obviously making me gain a few pounds.

Sighing, I fell back against the pillows, dropping my hand against my stomach as I rolled over onto my side. As I closed my eyes, I took another deep breath and gathered all the power within me in my core. With any luck, I would wake up the next morning and everything would seem like a distant dream that I couldn't quite remember. Before I fell off of the cusp of sleep, I thought of how all the lives I had lived and how none of them seemed so appealing that I wanted to go back and live it just a little bit longer. The golden ring, heavy on my finger, reminded me that even if I did have the chance, I wouldn't have gone back and changed anything. I had come to terms with everything, and I knew better than to dwell within the past when the future was so much brighter.

Rolling over, I reached up and turned off the lamp on the nightstand, bringing my knees up and buried my head into the fluffy pillow, closing my eyes and intent on carrying out my duty.

* * *

So, I finish this story with a heavy heart, placing it among other secrets that won't be found for many years to come. Maybe someday, I'll find my Renaissance story in another life, and if so, I'll know deep inside that it was I who lived the words that are written out on this paper.

The last thing that I say to whoever is reading this:

I love Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and no matter what happens from this point on, even when he is just beyond my reach, he's still my best friend.

Thank you, Ezio. Thank you for everything.

* * *

**So this is the end, my fellow AC fans, my fellow Ezio Lovers.**

**I want to personally thank all of you for supporting me to the very end. I would have never actually got this done without all of your encouraging words and support.**

**The people I want to thank a million times over are those who have stuck with me from the very first chapter I posted, and also to my good friends Angie (SporkedGamer), Zeta (ZetaAdele) and Beth (Dragon's-Maidens), who have supported me even when the times got so rough I thought for sure everything would fall apart. Thank you, thank you and thank you again!**

**Those who have drawn me beautiful fanart, I appreciate all of you amazing work and I love each and every piece!**

**I also want to thank my first Beta, Kittenbell, and although we have lost touch, I still do appreciate all of your effort! And also a big thanks to my current Beta HanashiNoSensu—you're the best, my friend!**

**I was planning on writing about Narina and her time with Altair and Malik—however, seeing how things are planning out and how I am going to college next fall, I will probably not be able to get to it. But, I will try my hardest to try and squeeze a bit of my time into writing it and we'll see what we get.**

**Thanks for reading my story, and thanks for being the best readers that I could have ever asked for! If you have any questions about this story, please do not hesitate to ask me!**

**(Review, and I will reply!)**

***There will be an Epilogue, by the way. :3 ***


	44. Epilogue

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* * *

**I promise you I will learn from my mistakes.**

-Boyce Avenue, "Fix You" cover Originally by Coldplay

* * *

Something always brings me back to you.  
It never takes too long.  
No matter what I say or do,  
I still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone.  
You hold me without touch.  
You keep me without chains.  
I've never wanted anything so much  
than to drown in your love, and not feel your rain.

– Sara Bareilles, "Gravity"

* * *

**Epilogue**

**(Ezio's Point of View)**

The sun hung heavy in the sky up above the city. Tilting my head back, I gazed up at the clouds that scattered like torn cloth across the sky, and I wondered just how long it would take for them to travel across the blue canvas, to hide behind the mountains and never be seen again. I had once believed that things couldn't simply disappear into thin air, but I had been proven a fool and completely ignorant.

Rome hadn't gotten any smaller. It was still the same giant city that seemed like a stinking shit hole compared to the glittering jewel of Florence or Monteriggioni. The tall buildings held no more appeal to my wondering eye and the brazen women no longer caught my attention. Everything seemed to grow pale in comparison as I tried to shut out my mind, tried to clear my thoughts and start out a new. I needed to forget my memories to start again, for we do not know who we are until we forget who we thought we were. But I have no powers that can release me of such burdens—I'm no Piece of Eden. And it seemed that no matter how hard I searched, I couldn't find one either.

Not that I tried too hard—hadn't _she_ told me _not_ to look for her?

Despite how much I wanted to, I knew she was right about it all. If I were to find her again and draw her to me, I would be putting her in danger. That didn't stop me from seeking more answers, to try and find at least a small hint that she was happy somewhere. The irony of her name meaning "water" made me even more upset about it all. I found nothing over the past three years I had spent here in Rome.

The Borgia's made a point that they were powerful enemies, attacking our home and effectively catching us off guard. Although my mother and sister survived, Uncle Mario...

I shook my head, tilting my head back down, the hood overshadowing my face again. I didn't like to think back on it. That year had been the worst, so many things dear to me ripped out of my grip. I had blamed it all on her at first, thinking that she had somehow knew it was all going to happen. As I searched over the years, I figured out that the Pieces of Eden couldn't predict the future. History did repeat itself, though, and they could infer things pretty accurately.

Anger had been my muse the last years, rage driving me to hunt down my enemy to the city of Rome. But that anger waned with the time, and I found myself alone and actually terrified. I had never been alone. Either Mario had taken me under his wing, or she would be right at my side.

My attention was brought forth to the situation at hand—a guard riding on a mount came sauntering by me, the man's eyes speculating as he watched me from under his helmet. My gaze fell away, down to my feet. I didn't want to start anything right now. I was hungry, tired from having stayed up all night fighting with the Borgia's forces. The sooner I got back to the base, the sooner I could deal with the bastards.

The sun, however, proved to be a better adversary, and I found myself sitting on a nearby bench by a cooing mother holding a small child in her arms. Although I didn't say a word to her, I stared at the child for a moment, taking in the big brown eyes and bubbling mouth, the dark hair that was but a wisp on top of the head. A baby boy, I concluded, and then something clenched in my gut, making me turn away as I closed my eyes. If there was anything that I had learned over the duration of my lonely years it was that living in the past did nothing for the future. Even so, I felt the metal against my collar-bone seemingly sear into my skin, an evil reminder of something that I could no longer have, though I couldn't bring myself to throw the ring away. Reaching up, I allowed my fingers to toy with the band of metal, feeling the gem embedded in the design. If I touched it long enough and let my mind wander, I could actually feel her warmth still upon it.

Suddenly not so tired anymore, I stood up and prepared to continue on my way.

"Stop her! Thief!"

The yell made me stop and turn around. A guard was bolting through the crowd, following the path that a finger of a merchant was pointing. Idly wondering if it was any of my thief friends, I pushed aside all of my other thoughts and decided to indulge myself with tagging along. Climbing buildings had lost it's appeal many years before when I decided I was getting a little too old to be climbing on top of the world, so instead I followed on foot, quick enough to keep the running guard in sight, but slow enough not to draw attention.

After a few quick turns and after we had gone in almost a complete circle, more guards seemed to have joined the pursuit and the thief had been caught. A crowd had gathered around the guards that talked about punishment and sinners, and with ease, I slid through the crowd and watched the scene as well, expecting to see one of the thieves from the guild seized by the guards.

What I actually saw kicked in the Assassin mode within me.

They had a helpless child curled on the ground, the stolen loaf of bread tucked under her arm. When one of the guards cocked a leg back, aiming a kick at the child, my hand gripped at a dagger at my belt and flung it through the air without a second thought. When the guard dropped to the ground, a knife sticking out of his side that had pierced his lung, the other fellow guards forgot all about the little girl on the ground, and started to yell at me. With their sword drawn, they all raced towards me. Tired of this game already, I unsheathed my blade and raced to meet them, swinging the blade until it sliced into the stomach of the guard closest to me, the blade sharp enough to break through the armor. Pressing my hand on the back of the blade, I pushed it all the way through, feeling the anger once again rise within me. It was because of these bastards and their leaders that I was utterly alone.

The crowd gasped and ran away screaming as the man fell to the ground, literally split into two, the blood pooling around in a threat that I meant business. One of the guards, probably a younger man, gasped and stumbled away, running in his fear. The older ones still advanced, their teeth gritting and their eyes flashing in anger. The rage built up within me busted forth, and I felt my limbs shake as a bestial nature overtook me, making me blood-thirsty. I rammed the sword through the next guard, feeling his insides slice in the motion of the sword. Kicking him back and letting the sword handle go, he fell back and slid down the blade, his mouth agape as his eyes stared at the scattered clouds up in the sky. The next guard was surprised at the demise of his teammate, which gave me a wondrous opening. Extracting the hidden blades with a flex of my wrist, I used both to stab his repeatedly in his chest, then for good measure, one blade up the soft skin under his chin. His wide eyes were fixed on me, trying to grasp the last moments of his life, before I growled out angrily and yanked the blade forward, splitting his face in half, spraying blood all over my face and robes.

The remaining guards that had advanced all turned and ran, deciding that they wanted their lives today. Then I was all alone again, the courtyard completely devoid of another human being, the only noise was the heavy breaths falling from my lips and the bubbling of blood from the dead on the ground. Taking a deep breath, trying to calm myself, I used my sleeve to wipe away the blood on my face, smearing it on the dark material of my dyed sleeve. Then I grabbed my sword from the man's stomach, flicking the blood off of it before I knelt and used the soft breeches of the dead guard to wipe off the rest. When I sheathed the blade, my eyes flickered up to where the little thief had been sitting. She was no longer there, but it was quite easy to figure out where she _had_ gone. Behind a pile of crates next to one of the abandoned stands was a quivering figure, bent down as if to avoid detection.

Deciding to check and see if she had been hurt before I came, I took advance towards the child, stepping over the first man I had killed. She must have sensed my presence, for when I leaned over the boxes, she curled up tighter, clutching the loaf in her arms tightly.

"_Salute_," I said, trying to put the warmth in my voice that I had seemed to lose hold of years ago.

The sob that was torn from her shocked me, and I realized she must have been terrified of me, seeing how I had killed the guards without so much of a single regret. Not that here crying _could_ make me regret it—nothing could, I was sure of that.

"P-please d-d-don't hurt me," she whimpered, her wavy hair falling over her shoulders and hiding her face. She then held the bread out, like I wanted something to do with it. "T-take it back. J-just don't hurt me, please." She was too young to be conducting in thievery, I decided, probably only around seven. If she had been willing to risk her life for a simple loaf of bread, she must have been an orphan, all alone like I was. At that thought, I found myself wanting to reach out to her and take her with me so neither of us had to be alone anymore. But I didn't want her to be afraid of me. I wouldn't hurt her, no matter the consequences, I realized.

Sitting on the crate and staring down at her, I reached down and pushed the bread back down. "I won't hurt you," I said as softly as I could. "I'm not like those guards who try to do so."

I saw her freeze, her sobs softening as she listened to my voice. She held the bread to her chest again. "I don't want you to hurt me," she whispered quietly.

"I won't," I promised again, reaching down and putting my head on the top of her head to try and show her I could be gentle. She jumped at the touch, but didn't recoil away. "You are safe with me, I promise."

The girl let that promise settle for a moment, digging her fingers into the bread. Then she looked up at me.

She had the widest blue eyes that I had ever seen, a round, childish face that was surrounded by rich (but dirty) brown curls. The cutest button nose peeped out under her round eyes. And under her right eye was a little mole, a feature that seemed to slap me in the face and stare at the girl like a dumbstruck imbecile.

If I hadn't known any better, I could almost fool myself that I was staring into a young version of Narina.

As she stared back up at me, under my hood, taking in my blood smeared facial features, I saw no recognition flit across her face, and she dug her fingers more into the bread.

I needed to find words to say, to try and convince her that I was going to help her instead of harm her, but I heard the return of people back to the area, crying out for guards to come quick and find the murderer.

Without another thought, I reached down to the girl. "Come with me," I told her in a whisper. "I can get up someplace safe."

I saw that she glanced around, perhaps trying to find someone else to cry out for help. But she must have saw that there was no other way out, and, sitting up, she reached out for me to take her hand and help her out of the mess she had gotten herself into. Her hand was small, soft and warm when I took it into my palm, curling around it securely, but not too tightly. Then we were hustling through the streets, her little legs flying in her tattered skirt to try and keep up with my brisk walk.

I didn't know where we were going. And for the first time in a long while, I didn't really care. I had found a companion, someone at my side to ease the pain of the absence. It was indulging myself and also hurting myself when I entertained the thought that I could actually be holding Narina's hand again. When I tried to tell myself that there was no way it could have been her, I remembered that she had told me three years prior that she could start a life at whatever age she wanted. It was torture to think that I had finally found her.

"There! _Assassino!_" The shout caused me to jerk out of my thoughts, and I glanced back, seeing guards approach us, chasing us with swords drawn. I had no intention to fight anymore, seeing how it frightened the girl.

"We have to run," I told her, looking down upon her as she glanced back at the guards. The tears welled up in her eyes and she tore away from my hold, shocking me. But then she was reaching up to me, throwing the bread aside, telling me silently to take her into her arms so that I could make a quick escape. There wasn't a second thought before I swooped down and took her in my hold, holding her securely in my arms. Then I began to run, the child clinging to my neck.

A new wave of energy flowed through me that I thought I had lost, and I decided that I was somehow no longer too old to climb buildings.

"Hold on tighter," I told the girl gruffly, and she did so, her small arms surprisingly holding on strong. I let her go, reaching up to the building, and her little knees dug into the sides of my ribs, holding on tighter that way. Then we were climbing up, up, so high above the streets and the crowd, the wind bracing against us as we ascended above the protection of the buildings around us. The girl had lifted her head from the crook of my neck and was gazing over my shoulder, and I heard her astonished gasp, taking in the sight of Rome from our high vantage point. When we got to the top of the building, I allowed her a moment to marvel at the wonder, and I too, found myself staring out over the city with a new outlook. The city was beautiful. How had I forgotten that?

The danger wasn't over yet, and I knew it. I took off across the roof, dropping down to a lower one as the girl buried her face once again.

It took only minutes before I was in the clear, and, after dropping back down to the ground, I started to walk. Okay, maybe I _was_ getting a little old for I was feeling a little winded. Finding an empty bench to the side of a armorer shop, I sat down and placed the girl on my knee, leaning my head back against the building as I allowed my breathing to calm.

When I looked up again, the girl was staring up at me with the most adorable pout on her lips, assessing me like she was still trying to figure out what she thought about me.

"What's your name?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

I wanted to tell her 'Ezio.' I wanted to see if she would look at me in recognition and say 'Ezio! I've missed you so much!'. But something told me if this _really_ was her, which I still had my doubts, and that I told her about me and tried to get her to remember me that I would be dooming her. So instead, I shrugged. "You can call me a friend."

If possible, her pout drew tighter. "'Friend' isn't a name, silly." She looked away, staring at the people walking by. "My name is Luciana," she said in a whisper, then looked back at me expectantly. "What's your _real_ name?"

Maybe it wouldn't hurt. Maybe I could tell her and nothing ill would come out of it. But I didn't survive all these years on a simple 'maybe'. I avoided the question instead, not wanting to lie to her. "Why are you stealing, Luciana?" I asked, the name strange. "Where are your parents?"

She saddened, and I immediately regretted my question, wanting to take it back.

"They died a long time ago," she whispered.

"Do you not have any other family?" I asked, hoping and praying that she did.

I was relieved when she nodded. "Yes. My older brother takes care of me. Well, he used to anyway." Her eyes moistened and she looked away. "He's sick, and can't work anymore." She looked back at me, determination in her eyes. "I want to help him, but no one will let me work!"

"Ah." So she had to steal to make sure her and her brother survived. She was definitely courageous for a little seven year old. "Stealing can get you seriously hurt," I told her, and I immediately felt like a scolding father.

She sighed. "What else am I supposed to do then?"

I didn't have an answer, because if I had been in the same situation, I would have done the exact same thing. As a matter of fact, I _had_ done the same thing.

"Why do you wear a hood?" She asked, once again staring up at me. "Doesn't it make you hot?"

A smile graced my lips. "No."

She surprised me when she reached up and pulled the hood back, allowing the warm city air to swirl around my face and tickle my ears. As she did so, something jabbed me from within and told me that this was my Narina.

I had found Narina.

She tilted her head again. "Where did you get the scar on your mouth?"

Wanting to hold her and never let her go again, to protect her from all of the dangers in the world, I had to take a moment to regain my thoughts. "Ah, well...it's from when I was younger." He made an arc with his hand and slid it across his scar. "Someone threw a rock at me and it cut my lip."

Luciana pouted again. "How mean!" She grew silent studying me closely, and it was a wonder how a young child could look so speculative. "You didn't kill him too, did you?"

Even though I had, I didn't want to frighten her. "No," I whispered, smiling wider now. "I didn't."

"Hmm." She leaned back from me as if she didn't believe me, her eyes studying the pink welt. "I don't like your beard," she said bluntly. "It makes you look mean."

I couldn't help it—I started laughing loudly.

There was no more doubt about it. The speculating questions, the reactions, the same pretty features, only younger, and the hatred of my facial hair. This was Narina.

"You know,"I said in between chuckles, "my wife hated my beard too." The words came out before I could stop them, and I immediately froze, realizing that I was taking this a step too far. I didn't want her to be in danger, but I was almost literally placing her in the middle of it all.

Instead of gasping in realization, she stared at me quietly. "Did your wife die?" she whispered, sympathy in her eyes.

"Yes," I murmured, smiling sadly this time, realizing that it was more true than anything. Even if this girl was the same person, same being as my blue eyed girl, she was no longer Narina. I reached up to my neck again, pulling out the necklace with the ring Narina had given back to me. "But she still lives on with me, see?"

She stared at the ring that glimmered in the sunlight, reaching out slowly to touch it. Then she grew sad, and tears filled her eyes. "Why do people have to die?" she whispered, her chin dimpling as she started to cry.

I had a feeling that she was feeling more than just remorse about her own parents death—I like to think that maybe, perhaps, she was somehow feeling all the overwhelming deaths she had seen in her past lives, seeing how she always had to say goodbye while everyone around her died. Being a almighty God was a blessing as much as it was a curse.

Wanting to comfort her, I held her close and kissed her forehead comfortingly. "It's a part of life," I whispered, tucking her in my arms. I let that settle before I sat her down on the ground, helping her wipe away the tears. "Let's get you home."

This time when she offered me her hand, I took it immediately, almost naturally, and I allowed myself to play with the thought that this is what a child with Narina would have been like. Impossible, but comforting, nonetheless.

With her guidance, I lead her home, a small building, but enough for two children. I wondered how old her "brother" was, but I decided against asking her. I stared up at the building, memorizing it so that I would be able to keep tabs on her—not to ever approach her, but to make sure she was safe and happy.

"Thanks for saving me," she said with a smile, then it dropped. "But I lost the bread..."

I made a decision then.

Crouching down to her height, I looked into her big, blue eyes. Reaching back, I unhooked the money pouch at my waist and took a hold of her soft hands. Placing the heavy pouch in her hands that held over five hundred florins, I gazed deep into her eyes. "Luciana," I whispered, "keep off the streets, and don't steal any more. I may not always be there to save you."

Feeling the weight of the pouch, she then gazed up at me. "This is too much money," she whispered.

I smiled. "You need it more than I do. Use it to buy some food and medicine for your brother so he can get better and take care of you." Another though occurred to me, and I let her hands go to reach for the necklace again. This time, however, I unclasped the small chain, and then placed it in her hands as well.

The girl seemed shocked, and stared at me with an agape mouth. "But...but..."

"I want you to have it," I explained, feeling something knot within me as I realized that I was giving away the last thing aside from my memories of Narina. "Only my wife was able to make me smile like you have—she would have wanted you to have it." It struck me that Narina _really would have_ wanted me to give it away, to the "first girl that melted my heart", right? I inwardly laughed at the irony that it had been Narina again, anyway. "It's pure gold. If you are in any need of money in the future, you can sell it for money." The way she stared at the golden band and the clear gem told him that that was _no way_ that she was ever going to sell the ring, no matter how poor and dire a situation got.

All the riches in the world couldn't have made me more happy than the wide smile she flashed at me did. "_Grazie, signore!_" She threw her small arms around my neck, pulling herself closer. Kneeling down to my knees, I hugged her back tightly, smiling softly as I felt the tears fill to the brim.

She was safe.

And she was happy.

I felt like I let go of something then—perhaps all of my insecurities and all of my worry about how and where Narina would be without me. It was like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders, and I could finally see that she was able to survive thousands of years before without me, and I had no doubt that she would still. I would just be able to help her a little.

I made sure the tears where blinked back before I pulled away, smiling down at the girl. "Stay out of trouble for me."

She nodded eagerly, clutching the pouch between both of her hands with the necklace stringed around it. "Do you live in _Roma?_ Maybe I'll see you again someday!"

As much as I would have liked that, to watch her grow up, I knew that would only lead to danger for her. But I didn't want to upset her. Standing up, I pulled the hood back over my face. "Perhaps someday," I lied.

Her forever blue eyes lit up as she smiled again. "You never told me your name," she pointed out.

Deciding that I owed her at least this much, I said, "It's Ezio."

The smile grew wider, showing me a gap on one of her bottom front teeth as a giggle busted from her lips. "I like that name!" Then her smile grew less silly and she bowed. "Thank you for everything, _ser_ Ezio." When she stood straight, her eyes were tinged with a bit of mischievousness. "And get rid of your beard."

A grin branched from my smile and I chuckled and shook my head in disbelief how little and yet how much she had changed. "Alright. I will."

With another giggle, she walked to the door of her house and looked back at me. "_Arrivederci_, Ezio."

_Goodbye, Narina_, I thought as I nodded and turned on my heel to walk away. _And thank you._

By that time, the tattered clouds in the sky had disappeared behind the mountains in the distance, the sky turning into a cloudless blue, as if saying it was open for new opportunities. Instead of dwelling on how those clouds would never be seen again, I began to notice the doors that they had left open, allowing more room for others to flourish.

As I walked away, I didn't once look back at the small little house holding all but two children, scared and alone, but willing to take on the world.

Maybe it's fate, or maybe it's destiny, but whatever allowed me to meet Narina that one last time on that clear day in Rome, I felt like a chapter in my life had come to a close, and now I was finally able to move forward. The anger and loneliness within me seemed to melt away with the thought. The whole world was in my future, and I was willing to grab a hold of it.

All thanks to some blue eyed girl appropriately named Narina.

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**THE END**

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**So, yeah. Epilogue. A little bit happier than the ending in the last chapter.**

**Anyway, Wild Mustang of Freedom said something about Ezio being in Modern Times or something, and it totally inspired me to do like a crack fic of this fic, totally AU, but involving Ezio and Narina in the future or something. So I may or may not do something with that. **

**Thank you all so much for your continued support. It's official that I have the best readers in the entire world.  
I could never thank you all enough.**

**(For those of you who were wondering, I'm probably going to Major in English in College and Minor in Creative Writing.)**

**Until the next story, then. :)**

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**EDIT: xXTron'sGirl13Xx has taken the opportunity to write a sequel to this story. Although not officially and strictly connected to this one, it's still going to be amazing, and I support her in all of her writing! So I suggest that you read her story called "The View From Up Here". Thanks!**

**-EDIT 2: Just so you all know, I _have_ written another story with Ezio and Narina. It's not a sequel or prequel of this story. It's more of an AU of this story-but I would appreciate it if you all would check it out! :) Just look on my profile and find it. Or search "The Orange Complication". Thank you!**


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